Honda set to close UK car plant as Brexit looms

LONDON: Workers vent frustration at politicians squabbling over Brexit as car manufacturer Honda on Tuesday announced the closure, in 2021, of its only plant in Europe in Swindon that produces 150,000 cars per year.

Swindon has been the home of Honda since the early 1990s, employing 3,500 workers.

Honda did not cite uncertainty over Brexit as the reason for the closure, but it was widely perceived so by workers, union officials and politicians opposed to leaving the EU on March 29. According to Honda, the decision was due to “unprecedented changes in the global automotive industry”.

Katsushi Inoue, chief operofficer for Honda’s European operations, said; “In light of the unprecedented changes that are affecting our industry, it is vital that we accelerate our electrification strategy and restructure our global operations accordingly”. “As a result, we have had to take this difficult decision to consult our workforce on how we might prepare our manufacturing network for the future.”

Des Quinn of the Unite workers union, said: “While Brexit is not mentioned by the company as a reason for the announcement, we believe that the uncertainty that the Tory government has created by its inept and rigid handling of the Brexit negotiations lurks in the background”.