Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells) (Con):...In the case of Vauxhall at
Ellesmere Port, as the Secretary of State says, a decision is
imminent as to whether a new electric model will be built there.
The same is true of Jaguar Land Rover in the west midlands and
supply chain companies such as GKN A laissez-faire approach will
not do it, and neither will just general encouragement. It requires
sleeves-rolled-up concrete action to be taken now between
Government and industry, just as was the case with...Request free trial
(Tunbridge
Wells) (Con):...In the case of Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port,
as the Secretary of State says, a decision is imminent as to
whether a new electric model will be built there. The same is true
of Jaguar Land Rover in the west midlands and supply chain
companies such as GKN A laissez-faire approach will not
do it, and neither will just general encouragement. It requires
sleeves-rolled-up concrete action to be taken now between
Government and industry, just as was the case with vaccines. Will
the Secretary of State, for whom I have a high regard, make this
commitment today and do whatever it takes urgently to ensure that
Britain is a global force in manufacturing electric vehicles long
into the future?
(Liverpool, Riverside) (Lab): A thousand
jobs are at risk if the Ellesmere Port plant closes, and a further
6,000 in the supply chain. Does the Minister agree that the future
of the Vauxhall Ellesmere Port plant and the GKN plant in Birmingham could be
secured if the Government commit to investing in a green recovery
for the automotive sector to produce a new electric model and, in
that way, they could protect thousands of jobs, because actions
speak louder than words...
(Birmingham, Erdington) (Lab) [V]: For half
a century, the GKN plant in Erdington has
manufactured world-class components—the drive shafts and the prop
shafts—for our 800,000-strong automotive industry. Melrose, which
took over GKN three years ago, has now
announced its intention to close the Erdington plant and to export
the 519 highly skilled jobs in the plant to continental Europe, in
breach of assurances given at the time of takeover. Will the
Secretary of State, who has agreed to meet us on Thursday of this
week, work with us—the workforce, their union, Unite, and myself—on
alternatives to closure? Any strategy for the transformation of the
industry to an electric future will vitally require high-value
components, and those high-value components should be built here in
Britain.
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