Honda closure triggers fears of crisis in UK car industry
As the clock ticks down on Britain’s departure from the EU with no deal in sight, the country’s car industry is braced for its biggest blow in more than a decade with the closure of a major automobile plant.
The decision by Honda to shut its Swindon factory by 2022, expected to be confirmed as early as Tuesday, throws into doubt 3,500 direct jobs, at a site responsible for about one in every 10 cars made in the UK last year.
Thousands more jobs are at risk in the supply chain and associated businesses.
“It’s a big shock,” said David Bailey, a professor of industrial strategy at Aston University. “But it’s not a surprise. Many of us have been warning for several years of the risks to UK automotive over Brexit, that we needed to nail down the uncertainty as soon as p...
