Ford to cut nearly 4,000 jobs in Europe, including 1,300 in UK

US carmaker blames losses on rising costs and need to switch to electric vehicle production

Ford is cutting nearly 4,000 jobs across Europe, including 1,300 in the UK, over the next three years amid plans to reinvent the brand and focus on a smaller range of electric vehicles.

The US carmaker said it planned to eliminate 3,800 product development and administration jobs in Europe, citing rising costs and the need to speed up its switch from internal combustion engine to electric vehicles.