Workers at Vauxhall's factory in Luton have told of their surprise at how quickly they could lose their jobs. It came after parent company Stellantis announced the closure of its van-making plant and subsequent relocation to Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

Labour minister Jonathan Reynolds told the Commons that Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, which owns Vauxhall, had said he felt "extremely frustrated" by the lack of action from the previous Conservative government which meant "his desire was to close the Luton plant".

Stellantis plans to shut its Vauxhall van factory in southern England, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk as it joins rival automakers in scaling back operations in a difficult trading environment.

Stellantis, owner of the Vauxhall brand in the UK, has announced it will close its vehicle manufacturing plant at Luton – where Vauxhall has been making vehicles since 1905. The plant currently employs around 1,

Luton's Vauxhall van factory is set to close in 2025, thanks in part to the UK government's Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate. This could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the destruction of the UK's car manufacturing sector.