Mandelson goes into bat for Vauxhall

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Business secretary Lord Mandelson met German ministers and the head of Magna yesterday to discuss the future of Vauxhall in the UK as Canadian car parts manufacturer moves ahead with plans to take over GM Europe.   "We are negotiating to keep Vauxhall production and employment continuing in Britain, and with a secure, viable future," he said, adding that the discussions with Magna were "good" and "positive".   He said the UK government and Magna were now ready to move to "technical discussions between experts" that would begin next Monday, and also that he believed Magna had "ambitious" plans for GM Europe.   Vauxhall employs 5,500 at two plants in the UK, at Luton and Ellesmere Port, and Magna boss Siegfried Wolf spoke of his "respect for British workers".   There are concerns that UK jobs may be seen as more expendable than German jobs because the German government has promised to provide billions of euros in loan guarantees to the company that takes over GM Europe.   A deal was agreed at the end of last month with Magna, after Fiat pulled out.   Opel employs over than 25,000 workers in Germany, almost five times the number employed by Vauxhall in the UK, and the German government is keen to protect as many of these jobs as possible, with political elections in the country coming up.   *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *