Britain’s Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), is emphasising “stability” despite this week’s dramatic UK political reshuffle that saw Business Minister, Michael Fallon, depart to become Secretary of State for Defence.
Fallon has won widespread praise for his handling of the UK’s burgeoning car industry, particularly through the auspices of the Automotive Council and for finance initiatives such as the GBP24m (US$41m) supply tooling fund, announced three weeks ago.
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“We can’t produce GBP24m every day – it is public money – we have to go through various checks to make sure they create the jobs they say they are going to create,” Fallon told just-auto just weeks before his elevation to the Defence top job.
Fallon’s departure was a cog in the British government’s largest reshuffle since election in coalition with the Liberal Democrats in 2010, but the SMMT is stressing it is business as usual as far as the association is concerned.
“Generally, the key thing is stability and Vince Cable [Secretary of State for Business], is still at the helm,” an SMMT spokesman told just-auto. “We already have a good relationship with Matt Hancock – the SMMT already knows him.
“He is a skilled Minister [and] was at our National Apprenticeship event – we don’t have to go through an education process of getting him up to speed.
“Ministers come and go – we always say we prefer stability but what the Prime Minister does is up to him and we have a good message to tell.”
Among Hancock’s responsibilities will be the low carbon economy, low emission vehicles and electronics.
