Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take following the recent downturn in UK car production.

The UK automotive industry remains one of our great success stories. Global demand for UK designed, engineered and manufactured vehicles is strong and the industry is strong, with over 425,000 high quality, well paid jobs, both directly in vehicle manufacturing and through the supply chain, increasing wealth and prosperity across the country.

Monthly car production figures are influenced by cyclical variations and short terms factors. Despite fluctuations in the monthly figures, annual car production has shown an overall upward trend over the last decade, with annual production in 2017 at the second highest output levels since the turn of the century.

We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive. Through our Industrial Strategy and landmark Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new automotive technologies to ensure the UK remains the destination of choice for future investment decisions.