Unite: Stellantis electric car warning exposes gaping lack of government industrial strategy

Responding to the warning from car manufacturer Stellantis that the government must renegotiate its Brexit deal or face losing electric car production in the UK, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:

“This warning exposes the government’s complete failure to adopt a cohesive and active industrial strategy. The government has been warned for over a decade that it needed to invest in battery factories to ensure the smooth transition to electric vehicle production in the UK but it has failed to act. 

“The lack of industrial strategy is not just affecting the automotive industry. Our foundation industries, such as steel, are facing an increasingly uncertain future as a result of a lack of direction and support from the government.

“The entire manufacturing sector needs a huge boost of confidence and certainty, if it is to fulfil its potential. That will not happen if our government continues to rely on the vagaries of the market, rather than directly intervening to ensure that UK industry succeeds and thrives.”