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The business secretary opens his statement by acknowledging the announcement from Vauxhall’s parent company Stellantis that it will close it’s 120-year-old Luton plant next year.

“I know yesterday was a dark day for Luton,” Jonathan Reynolds says.

“This is an iconic plant, powered by a talented workforce, and there are very few people in the town who don’t know someone who works at the site.”

Mr Reynolds goes on to say he and the transport secretary were told about “the challenges” at the site “just 10 days after the election”, with the global CEO telling them “he felt extremely frustrated by the lack of action from the previous government”.

There were “intense negotiations” that followed, and Stellantis conducted a review, which has led to the decision to consolidate operations in one plant.

Fast-track consultation on EV sales targets

He is “bitterly disappointed” that Vauxhall cars will no longer be made in Luton, and his “priority” is the people of the town.

The business secretary goes on to say the government has asked Stellantis to “urgently share their full plans with us and to work with the government so that every single worker who is impacted receives the support they deserve”.

On to the broader question of the future of electric car manufacturing in the UK, Mr Reynolds says there are global headwinds, but “opportunities” for the UK.

“This transition has to be properly managed, and it requires a government that’s on the pitch – something the car industry finally now has,” he says.

To that end, he announces a fast-track consultation on the electric vehicle sales targets that car manufacturers have to meet – rules Mr Reynolds pointedly said were introduced by the previous Tory government.