The owner of the Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat brands told the UK parliament that under the current deal it would face tariffs when exporting electric vans to Europe from next year when tougher post-Brexit rules come into force. The carmaker urged the government to reach an agreement with the European Union about extending the current rules on the sourcing of parts until 2027 instead of the planned 2024 change.
“The cost of failure is very clear. It’s 800,000 jobs in the UK, which is basically those jobs associated with the car industry,” said Palmer, who is also chairman of European battery manufacturer InoBat. “If you don’t have a battery capability in the UK, then those car manufacturers will move to mainland Europe.