Vauxhall owner was ‘confident’ about meeting EV rules before factory shutdown

Exclusive: Stellantis executive's recent comments to investors undermine claim Luton closure was down to emission mandate

• No need to mourn Just Eat's exit from LSE

The owner of Vauxhall told investors that it was confident" it would meet the UK's rules on electric vehicle sales just two months before it blamed them for the decision to close a factory in Luton, the Guardian can reveal.

Stellantis cited the UK's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate when it announced the closure of its van factory in Bedfordshire on Tuesday, putting 1,100 workers at risk of redundancy or relocation to its factory making smaller vans in Ellesmere Port.