The IMI urges Andy Burnham to deliver where Labour has so far failed on automotive

• At it welcomes the new Prime Minister to No 10, the IMI warns that a deepening skills crisis is threatening safety on UK roads

As Andy Burnham is confirmed as the new Prime Minister, the Institute of the Motor Industry is hopeful that he will recognise the fundamental role of the automotive sector in the UK economy.

Despite pre-election promises to put the motor industry at the heart of its plans for growth, the Labour government has to date repeatedly overlooked the sector in policy – and the consequences are becoming critical. Without urgent action, the IMI warns the gap between the complexity of the vehicles on UK roads and the competence of the workforce maintaining them will continue to widen – putting motorists, technicians and the UK's world-leading road safety record at risk. 

Nick Connor, CEO of the IMI, said: "We congratulate Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister and we genuinely welcome his stated commitment to re-industrialisation and to technical and vocational skills. However, before the general election, Labour promised to champion the motor industry – a sector fundamental to the UK's economy and its social infrastructure. Two years on, that promise has not been delivered, and the skills gap in our sector has become a road safety issue.

"Vehicles are changing faster than at any point in history - electrification, connected systems, automated driving technology. The people who maintain, repair and recover them must be demonstrably competent, yet apprenticeship starts are falling and qualification levels are nowhere near where demand requires.

“The new Prime Minister has an immediate opportunity to put this right: mandate IMI TechSafe, protect the rigour of automotive apprenticeships, and give our 800,000-strong workforce the recognition and investment it deserves. The IMI is ready to work with him from day one." 

The IMI is calling for the following commitments: 

1. Automotive Embedded in Re-Industrialisation Strategy - The Labour Party’s 2023 pre-election commitment was for a dedicated automotive strategy that encompassed manufacturing, aftermarket, supply chain, and workforce development. That has not been evident to date. The IMI is calling for recognition that a sector employing 866,000 people and generating £37 billion in annual GVA cannot be treated as a footnote within a broader manufacturing category and should take a central role in a Re-Industrialisation Strategy. 

2. Consistency on ZEV Policy - Mixed messages on EV policies including the ZEV mandate have caused employers to pause investment in training. Whatever the final mandate parameters, the government must make clear that the transition to electric vehicles is irreversible and that skills investment must accelerate accordingly. 

3. Government Mandating of the IMI TechSafe Standard – As the scope of technological development in automotive expands, the IMI is calling for government to ensure all technicians working on safety-critical aspects of vehicles on UK roads hold a recognised competence qualification, protecting both workers and motorists. 

4. Apprenticeship Reform That Doesn’t Put Road Safety at Risk – The IMI has serious concerns about the current apprenticeship reforms. It is calling for a review of the reforms that maintains rigorous, independent end-point assessment, as well as protecting the depth and quality of training required to achieve real occupational competence. 

5. Automotive Skills as a Pillar of Skills England – The sector's workforce needs must be explicitly named and resourced within the national skills framework, not left to be inferred from cross-sector language.