CAR giant Ford is set to slash about 1,300 British jobs as it transitions to producing a smaller range of electric vehicles, bosses announced today.

The US firm’s move — part of a wider cull of European roles — is “another stark reminder that the shift to electrification needs a proper industrial strategy from the government,” Unite the union said.

Under its cuts, which the company claims it intends to achieve via “voluntary separation programmes,” Ford will ditch about a fifth of its 6,500-strong British-based workforce, while 3,800 roles will be cut across the continent in the next three years.