There is a great article (HERE) on Sky News by Faisal Islam about the UK car industry. At the recent Frankfurt Motor show there was a chance for executives to meet and discuss Brexit. According to Islam, an internal industry memo was circulating which described a recent "disillusioning" meeting with the Government on Brexit customs arrangements and "a lack of detailed information and blocking of our questions" which attendees concluded was a "desperate attempt" to get the industry to solve the customs conundrum posed by the Government's approach to Brexit.
At meetings with the PM the CEO of Jaguar has tried to explain the impact of a no-deal scenario and no transition period and time is running out. Decisions are being made now about investments in the years ahead but no one knows what the trading landscape will look like. And government hopes that car companies will become AEOs (Authorised Economic Operators) and handle customs arrangements inside their own plants seem to have been dashed. The industry is scathing about it and say it will take time and there is no chance of the whole supply chain achieving AEO status anyway.
Investment is falling dramatically and the Japanese are becoming particularly worried by it all. The main message is a plea for clarity and time to implement things but no assurance that the industry will remain in the UK in the long term if costs and customs become excessive.
