Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive:
As MPs prepare to vote on the government’s Brexit deal, we urge them to remember they hold the future of the British automotive industry – and the hundreds and thousands of jobs it supports – in their hands.
Brexit is already causing us damage – in output, costs and jobs, but this does not compare with the catastrophic consequences of being cut adrift from our biggest trading partner overnight.
The Just-in-Time nature of automotive means the impact of ‘no deal’ will be felt, not in months or weeks, but hours.
A managed ‘no deal’ is a fantasy – we would face immediate delivery shortages, disruption, additional costs and uncertainty. Both government and parliament have a responsibility to take ‘no deal’ off the table or risk destroying this vital UK industry.
