Car industry warns PM no-deal Brexit ‘an existential threat’

The UK automotive industry has written to new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stress its fundamental objection to a no-deal Brexit

Boris JohnsonThe Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT), the British automotive industry trade body, has written to new Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting that a no-deal Brexit ‘is not an option’.  

Chief executive Mike Hawes describes a no-deal Brexit “an existential threat to our industry” which would result in “huge tariff costs and disruption that would threaten protection”.

International investor confidence in the industry would be further undermined if frictionless and tariff free trade was impaired.

Hawes has urged the new Prime Minister to meet with industry “as soon as possible” to discuss how both can work together to secure the future of the industry.

“No-deal Brexit is simply not an option.”

Unprecedented change

Mike Hawes

Britain is potentially well poised to capitalise on the fundamental change coming to the automotive industry in the next decade, said Hawes (pictured above). 

“Automotive is, however, a highly competitive sector internationally, with fine margins. We cannot afford to be complacent.”

Boris Johnson has the opportunity to “assure our sector’s future success,” says Hawes… “an ambitious objective, and one I hope you share”.

He also reminds the new PM that UK automotive contributes £18.6 billion to the UK economy, employs hundreds of thousands and “makes the most significant contribution to UK trade of any manufacturing sector.

“When automotive succeeds, so does the UK.”

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Richard Aucock
Richard Aucockhttps://www.richardaucock.co.uk/
Richard is director at Motoring Research. He has been with us since 2001, and has been a motoring journalist even longer. He won the IMCO Motoring Writer of the Future Award in 1996 and the acclaimed Sir William Lyons Award in 1998. Both awards are run by the Guild of Motoring Writers and Richard is currently vice chair of the world's largest organisation for automotive media professionals. Richard is also a juror and Steering Committee director for World Car Awards and the UK juror for the AUTOBEST awards.

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