New Vauxhall Astra WILL be built at Ellesmere Port. But…

Vauxhall will build the new Astra at their Ellesmere Port Plant, but only if the UK leaves the EU with a Brexit deal on favourable terms.

With PSA buying Opel Vauxhall, and doubts over exactly what terms the UK will be trading with Europe, there have been doubts that PSA would retain production of the Astra at Ellesmere Port.

Of course, workers at Ellesmere Port have been here before when GM were thought to be considering closing Ellesmere Port in 2012, but in the end they didn’t, and they ended up boosting production and adding 700 jobs.

So there must be a feeling of Deja Vu in Merseyside as the future of Ellesmere Port seems to be once again in the balance after PSA cut jobs by 25 per cent in 2017, and with Brexit looming it looked like production of the new Astra would be off to the Continent.

But there is some good news for Vauxhall workers as PSA announce they will build the new Astra on Merseyside – as well Russelsheim in Germany –  but there are caveats.

PSA said:

It [Astra Production on Merseyside] will be conditional on the final terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union and the acceptance of the New Vehicle Agreement, which has been negotiated with the Unite trade union.

We have no doubts, unless we have a Corbyn Government, that Unite and PSA will do a deal on production, but it looks like PSA are looking for, at a minimum, a Brexit deal which ensures frictionless trade between the UK and EU.

Over to you, Boris.