The closure of the Vauxhall plant in Luton will cost the town a total of about 3,700 jobs and have a £310m impact on the local area's economy, a council leader told BBC Politics East. On Tuesday, Stellantis, the owner of Vauxhall, announced plans to close its Bedfordshire van-making factory, putting about 1,100 jobs at the plant at risk.

The ousting of Carlos Tavares as boss of Vauxhall’s owner is unlikely to save its Luton van plant, industry experts have warned. Stellantis’s arch cost-cutter announced he would axe the factory with the loss of up to 1,

Vauxhall started making cars in 1903 in South London but moved to a new factory in Kimpton Road Luton in 1905. Car manufacturing in at the Bedfordshire plant ended in 2002 - the last car to roll of the production line was a Vectra - after nearly 100 years, leading to 1,900 job losses.

Motor giant Stellantis says it is closing the van making plant in the context of the UK's rules on electric vehicle sales.

More than 1,100 jobs at the van-making factory are at risk, but Stellantis said it is hoping to transfer "hundreds" of Luton jobs to the group's Vauxhall site in Ellesmere Port. It is now in consultation with unions and employees over the proposals, which will also see it invest £50m into the Ellesmere Port factory.

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Vauxhall owner Stellantis, has resigned with immediate effect, just days after the announcement that Vauxhall's Luton plant would be closing. The 66-year-old chief executive had led the automotive giant,