Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of current and projected gigafactory battery production capacity in Europe; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that capacity for UK automotive demand.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK collaborates with Government, automotive industry, and academia to produce quarterly forecasts. The latest insights show, based on nameplate capacity, European cell production is projected to surpass demand in 2027.

While EU trade remains vital to the sector, it is critical for UK economic resilience and competitiveness that we build domestic battery production capacity and diverse supply chains.

This Government is supporting our domestic battery ecosystem through Industrial Strategy commitments, where we announced the UK's largest single commitment to battery R&D in the Battery Innovation Programme, and significant capital support through DRIVE35 funding.