LONDON British Prime Minister Tony Blair has telephoned the president of U.S. firm Motorola to head off feared job losses in Scotland, AFP quoted Downing Street as saying on Tuesday.

The mobile phone manufacturer will announce job cuts at its plant in Bathgate, central Scotland, when it unveils its quarterly results late on Tuesday, according to unconfirmed reports.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Blair had spoken over the telephone with Motorola President Chris Galvin.