Ford has announced it will cut 800 jobs in the UK over the next three years. The move is part of a major restructuring programme, which will see 4,000 posts closed across Europe as a whole. The company said it had to act because of difficult trading conditions, including intense competition and weak demand for electric vehicles.

Carmakers have insisted that electric vehicles (EVs) are less prone to fires than petrol ones in an attempt to tackle “myths” about the vehicles that experts fear are harming sales.

Ford said on Wednesday it would cut around 14% of its European workforce, blaming significant losses in recent years compounded by weak demand for electric vehicles, a lack of government support for the shift to EVs,

Ford Motor Co. will look to eliminate another 4,000 positions in Europe, further retrenching from a region where the transition to electric vehicles is losing traction industrywide.

Ford plans to cut 2,900 jobs in Germany by the end of 2027 to reduce costs, the US carmaker said on Wednesday, part of a larger overhaul of its operations in Europe. Most of the reductions will take place at a Ford factory in Cologne,