Healey presses EU not to shut UK car makers and steel firms out of 'Made in Europe' trade scheme
From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.
Chancellor John Healey travelled to Dublin on Friday to urge EU finance ministers to design their 'Made in Europe' procurement plan so British factories are not blocked from public contracts and subsidies earmarked for European industry. The scheme, advancing through the European Parliament under the Industrial Accelerator Act, would give EU firms priority for state spending and support in strategic sectors including cars, steel and net-zero technology. Healey pushed for deeper UK-EU partnerships across manufacturing, technology and defence, warning against "erecting new barriers". The Dublin push comes ahead of an autumn UK-EU reset summit postponed after Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as prime minister.
British carmakers with major UK plants — including BMW's Oxford Mini factory, Nissan Sunderland and Jaguar Land Rover — face being shut out of EU subsidy schemes if the rules exclude non-EU production.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham had already told Emmanuel Macron the 'buy European' programme 'could pose significant challenges' for UK industry, signalling Downing Street's alarm.
Healey also called on EU counterparts to 'learn lessons' after talks on UK involvement in the EU's defence loans scheme, known as Safe, collapsed earlier this year.