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Lord Sterling of Plaistow Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

My noble friend makes a very important point. We are talking not just to the employers but to the unions about the future for the staff employed there. They have a central role to play in helping us build the development of the manufacturing of the future. When we enact the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill, there will be further opportunities for unions to be consulted and involved in decisions such as this.

[Lord Sterling of Plaistow (Con)]

My Lords, I have a deep concern. There is now a general view at Motability, which I founded, as some noble Lords will be aware, that it will not go to electric cars. For many car manufacturers today—very much in Germany and other places such as that—the margins are so thin that, over the next few years, many of them will go broke. I draw that to the Government’s attention before we put money into a company which may eventually go broke. Capitalism will work, but not necessarily in our favour.

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes an interesting point of which I was not aware. I will go away and look into it. We are investing in the development of electric vehicles; just today, the Department for Transport has extended the plug-in van grant for another year to help van drivers and businesses transition to zero-emission vehicles, which will mean that businesses and van drivers can receive grants of up to £2,500 when buying small vans. I do not know whether that will apply to the circumstances the noble Lord mentions, but I will certainly look at whether that is covered.