British interests in car manufacturing are under threat – and Johnson’s Tories won’t stand up for them

Warnings about hard Brexit already threaten the future of the Ellesmere Port plant where the Astra is made, writes James Moore

PSA boss Carlos Tavares has warned that production will be switched if Brexit serves to make the Ellesmere Port unprofitable (AFP/Getty)

I imagine the tension at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port’s car plant is at something close to boiling point this morning. ​Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA, which counts Peugeot, Citroen, and Vauxhall Opel among its brands, confirmed what’s been in the wind for several days now.

They’re pursuing a 50-50 merger in a bid to create what will be the world’s fourth largest car maker by sales. The impact of it will be felt across the industry.

It’s a truly enormous deal, which will create a company with revenues of €170bn (£146bn) and an operating profit of more than €11bn. The motivations for doing it aren’t hard to discern.