President Of The Board Of Trade And Rover

EDM number 552 in 1993-94, proposed by Austin Mitchell on 08/02/1994.

That this House agrees with the President of the Board of Trade that foreign investment and interest is, of course, to be welcomed, but control has its dangers and that for the major parts of the British motor industry to fall entirely into foreign hands would leave it a hostage to decisions elsewhere, while experience shows that foreign subsidiaries will bear the brunt of the cut-backs and the skills in research and development tend to be lost, which is why the future of Rover will continue to be a matter for the Government; regrets that the Government has done nothing to stop Rover being sold to the Germans because of British Aerospace's desperate desire for cash, with no safeguards for British national interest and at the cost of a major affront to Honda, which has played so crucial a role in rebuilding the fortunes of the company while safeguarding its independence; and calls on the Government to develop a coherent national industrial strategy, rather than treating the industry as a car boot sale.

This motion has been signed by a total of 35 MPs.