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Luton MPs expressed their dismay at Stellantis’s (STLA) “callous decision” to close its van-making plant in the town, putting 1,100 jobs at risk.

The Telegraph rounded up some of the commentary:

Rachel Hopkins, the Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, said: “I refer to my registered interests as a trade union member, and also someone with friends who have heard that they have lost their jobs.

“Closing the Luton site will damage our local economy. With 600 jobs at risk, more in the supply chain, and workers and families receiving this devastating news just before Christmas, I welcome the comments from the Secretary of State saying decarbonisation must not mean deindustrialisation.”

Sarah Owen, Labour MP for Luton North, said: “Vauxhall is, or was, synonymous with Luton. Stellantis’s callous decision will impact our whole town, our whole region, even. So what support will be offered to not just the skilled and dedicated Vauxhall workers who are losing their jobs, but also to our whole town as a whole to cope with the loss of this manufacturing giant which Luton helped build?”

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds replied: “The whole decision is regrettable, but the timing is particularly regrettable around it.”

He added: “I would not want to minimise the impact of this in any way, I believe her area is a place of considerable economic strength, firms in engineering and aerospace, in air travel, in the creative industries. There’s a lot to be optimistic about for the future, but that doesn’t take away the bitterness of this particular blow for Luton at this time.”