The decision follows a sweeping review of the business and the decision to look at offloading its cephalosporins antibiotics business, which includes the GSK sites in Ulverston, where major expansion was planned.

The project was to be the first new GSK manufacturing facility built in the UK for almost 40 years with around 450 construction workers employed at peak.

GSK said it would be investing in respiratory and HIV medicines manufacturing in the UK.

Between now and 2020, its plans to invest more than £140m at its Ware, Hertfordshire, Barnard Castle, Co Durham and Montrose, Scotland sites.

This new investment is on top of the £275m announced last year and investment of over £1.2bn in UK manufacturing since 2012.

Roger Connor, President, GSK Global Manufacturing and Supply said: “We have a substantial manufacturing presence in the UK and continue to support the network with new investment of more than £140m in the next three years.

“At the same time, we have had to make some decisions which we know will cause uncertainty for some of our employees. We will do all we can to support them through this process.”