Sunderland MP Lewis Atkinson has strongly defended the government's electric vehicle policies after being challenged by GB News host Martin Daubney.
The exchange comes amid growing concerns over the future of Nissan's Sunderland factory, which employs around 6,000 workers.
Nissan recently announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs globally and close seven production plants.
During the GB News exchange, Martin suggested that dropping "punitive net zero policies" could provide a lifeline for Nissan's Sunderland factory.
Martin Daubney quizzed the Labour MP for Sunderland
GB NEWS / PA
"If only you weren't taxing manufacturers to make petrol or diesel cars, let's face it, the type most consumers want, you could really hand Nissan a lifeline by dropping Ed Miliband's net zero targets," Martin claimed.
Atkinson responded forcefully: "That's rubbish."
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Nissan said it would be cutting 20,000 jobs across its global workforce PAThe Sunderland MP emphasised that Nissan's future plans are firmly tied to electric vehicles.
"Nissan said they want to build all electric cars in Sunderland. We've got thousands of jobs in the north east reliant on the future of electric vehicle manufacturing," Atkinson stated.
He added that the Government had "done the right thing by adjusting the EV mandate" to support British manufacturing.
The debate continued over the timeline for phasing out petrol cars by 2030.
Martin suggested this was too soon, saying: "It's 2030. That's five minutes away, really."
Atkinson defended the transition, stating: "It's a long time before anyone is forced to do anything."
He added: "What we will see is manufacturers adjusting their plans and they will only be building electric cars."
Nissan's financial troubles have been mounting, with the company reporting a net loss of 670.9 billion yen (£3.4 billion) despite selling more than 3.3 million vehicles in the 2024-25 financial year.
The Japanese automaker has not yet confirmed which factories will close as part of its restructuring plan.
The Sunderland plant received a £2 billion investment in 2023 for manufacturing new electric vehicle models.
Despite uncertainty, Nissan's President and CEO Ivan Espinosa offered some reassurance about the Sunderland plant's future.
"In Europe, we will strengthen our presence by assembling more electrified vehicles in Sunderland, utilising our relationship with Renault," Espinosa said.
Nissan's UK sales remain relatively healthy, with 32,754 vehicles sold in the first four months of this year.
When asked about Brexit's impact on Nissan's Sunderland operations, Atkinson was clear about the current government's approach.
"We've been clear that we need to make Brexit work and the previous government clearly failed," he said.
The MP added that the previous administration "failed to get the trade deals over the line that this government has done."
