Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Brexit stopping the Met buying British
The Independent reveals that the next generation of armoured ministerial cars will be made in Germany because supply chain issues hampered by Brexit mean no British manufacturer is able to meet its requirements.
The paper says that the Metropolitan Police announced over the summer that it was ditching armoured Jaguar XJs for Baden-Württemberg-assembled Audi A8s. And it has now been revealed that the decision was made because no British car maker is “able to meet the requirements of the tender”, forcing the Met’s hand:
Last year, UK car production hit its lowest level since 1956, because of skills shortages and supply chain issues worsened by Brexit and the pandemic.
Jaguar has provided British government ministerial cars for more than three decades but its plants have had to pause production at points over the past few years due to problems obtaining parts.
...
The problems obtaining a suitable car from the UK were revealed in a written response to a question from the London Assembly, which scrutinises the Metropolitan Police Authority. The Met is in turn responsible for ministerial protection, including procuring the cars.
“All Metropolitan Police Service contracts are subject to public procurement regulations, with considerations given to safety requirements as well as cost and vehicle availability,” officers said in a statement.
“For this tender specifically, at the time of tender, there was no UK original equipment manufacturer able to meet the requirements of the tender, or producing a similar specification of vehicle, therefore no bid was made by any UK manufacture for the contract.”
In 2016, the UK produced around 1.7 million cars a year, but since the EU referendum, this figure has steadily declined to just 786,000, according to the latest numbers from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Production appeared to hit rock bottom earlier this year and has now levelled off, with a very slight increase in recent months.
...
The cars are used to transport Rishi Sunak and six of the most senior ministers who receive Grade 7 Metropolitan Police protection, which involves a 24/7 bodyguard and the use of special armoured cars.
So much for taking back control.
The paper says that the Metropolitan Police announced over the summer that it was ditching armoured Jaguar XJs for Baden-Württemberg-assembled Audi A8s. And it has now been revealed that the decision was made because no British car maker is “able to meet the requirements of the tender”, forcing the Met’s hand:
Last year, UK car production hit its lowest level since 1956, because of skills shortages and supply chain issues worsened by Brexit and the pandemic.
Jaguar has provided British government ministerial cars for more than three decades but its plants have had to pause production at points over the past few years due to problems obtaining parts.
...
The problems obtaining a suitable car from the UK were revealed in a written response to a question from the London Assembly, which scrutinises the Metropolitan Police Authority. The Met is in turn responsible for ministerial protection, including procuring the cars.
“All Metropolitan Police Service contracts are subject to public procurement regulations, with considerations given to safety requirements as well as cost and vehicle availability,” officers said in a statement.
“For this tender specifically, at the time of tender, there was no UK original equipment manufacturer able to meet the requirements of the tender, or producing a similar specification of vehicle, therefore no bid was made by any UK manufacture for the contract.”
In 2016, the UK produced around 1.7 million cars a year, but since the EU referendum, this figure has steadily declined to just 786,000, according to the latest numbers from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Production appeared to hit rock bottom earlier this year and has now levelled off, with a very slight increase in recent months.
...
The cars are used to transport Rishi Sunak and six of the most senior ministers who receive Grade 7 Metropolitan Police protection, which involves a 24/7 bodyguard and the use of special armoured cars.
So much for taking back control.
