UNCERTAINTY over Brexit could spell doom for Vauxhall’s future in Ellesmere Port, the company’s boss has said.

Carlos Tavares, chief executive of PSA which owns Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen, said clarity over the terms of the UK’s departure is “a big concern”.

He told the BBC that uncertainty undermined Ellesmere Port’s chances of getting more work after 2021.

“We cannot invest in a world of uncertainty,” he said. “No one is going to make huge investments without knowing what will be the final competitiveness of the Brexit outcome.”

Mr Tavares told the broadcaster that a decision on whether to give Ellesmere Port more work will need to be taken “very soon”.

He added: “I would like to praise our UK people in terms of their efficiency, but at the same time we need clarity. This is not a problem for the PSA Group, this is a problem for the whole UK automotive industry.”

It comes after it was announced over the festive period that 650 jobs will be lost from the 1,900 strong workforce.

The news has been met with anger and frustration by Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders.

He told The Standard that a vision for future trading arrangements with the EU needs to be established as soon as possible to give businesses some “comfort”.

Mr Madders said yesterday: “I asked the Prime Minister for guarantees for the automotive sector and I just got back a load of waffle.

“It’s very frustrating that we’ve got what is a critical part of the local economy and a very clear message from the owner about what they need but the Government just seem to be dithering. If they don’t pull their finger out soon we will be in trouble.

“They need to get a proper dialogue going with PSA and the rest of the automotive sector to give them some comfort and if they can’t then they need to let someone take over who can do it. There are too many jobs on the line here.”