Brexit minister David Davis meets with UK car executives

A roundtable was hosted on 12 December by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), at which David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, met with car makers. The event, which was held at SMMT’s headquarters in London, was an opportunity for UK heads of car producers to stress the importance of the UK car industry in the government’s negotiations to exit the EU. SMMT called the automotive industry “a UK success story”, with turnover of £71.6bn, and producing more than 1.5 million cars and 2.4 million engines in 2015. The trade group said in news release: “With over 80% of our production going to more than 160 countries globally it is critical we secure unfettered single market access and unhindered trade opportunities worldwide. The industry is agile but long term investment and growth will depend heavily upon our ability to race competitively and to attract global talent within an economically stable environment.” Among the executives were senior representatives from Jaguar Land Rover, GM-Vauxhall, Honda, Ford, Aston Martin, McLaren, Nissan, Toyota and Caterpillar. Attending in addition to Davis were John Hayes, Minster for Transport, and Nick Hurd, Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said: “Today’s discussions were a good opportunity to meet with government to reinforce the success and importance of UK Automotive, and to highlight the specific priorities for our sector when leaving the European Union. “Being part of the single market has helped make the UK automotive sector amongst the most competitive in the world and a critical part of the UK economy. It is essential that we maintain those benefits and we will work with government and our partners in Europe to ensure the global success of our sector continues in the future.”