The former boss of Vauxhall in Luton said the factory’s “troubles began with Brexit”, after news that the van-making plant would close.
Mark Noble said parent company Stellantis had “lost an excellent workforce in Luton” and the closure would affect 1,500-2,000 jobs when taking account of suppliers.
Confusion over Brexit tariffs affected operations at Luton and at Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, he said, while he also blamed the government for not providing incentives to buy electric vehicles (EVs).
A government spokesperson said it was spending £300m to “drive uptake of zero emission vehicles,” while Stellantis said there would be “meaningful dialogue with our union partners to agree the next steps”.
Mr Noble said it was “extremely sad” to lose “part of Luton’s history”, since the factory on Kimpton Road first opened in 1905.
He joined Vauxhall in 1988 and became director of Ellesmere Port and then Luton before retiring in 2022.
“The trouble for both the UK plants started with Brexit. It caused a lot of uncertainty within business, and business doesn’t like uncertainty,” he said.
“When you’ve got two plants that export 80% of their build, then tariff confusion and no clarity really hurt the two plants.
“It became clear that exports would probably be reduced due to the implication of tariffs.”
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