A new inquiry into the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) production will open after the government-championed battery startup Britishvolt entered administration, laying off 300 employees.

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will look at the current state of the UK’s supply of batteries for EV manufacturing.

A few months ago, BMW announced it would end the production of its electric Mini model in Oxford.

Committee Chair Darren Jones said: “The future of car manufacturing in the UK is dependent on our ability to make EVs and to be able to export them into the EU.

“That means we need local supplies of EV batteries – something we are falling significantly behind on compared to other parts of the world.

“This inquiry will look at what’s holding back the development of EV batteries in the UK and what needs to be done to protect the thousands of jobs across the country in this important sector.”