Influential MEPs considering the EU response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal have visited two car manufacturers in the West Midlands.

The delegation, led by West Midlands MEP Daniel Dalton, visited Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull and Aston Martin in Gaydon.

Mr Dalton said, “We needed to hear from West Midlands manufacturers as we seek to restore confidence in the industry that was clearly rocked by VW scandal.”

“It made sense to bring the MEPs to the West Midlands. In Britain we have some of the toughest environmental testing regimes in Europe and as a continent we can learn much from our industry and regulators.”

Mr Dalton is the EU rapporteur and will have to negotiate with representatives of the EU’s national governments, and come to a compromise on the legal text, which was drafted and proposed by the European Commission in January in the wake of the VW scandal.

The team also visited the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) laboratory in Nuneaton. The laboratory is responsible for providing testing and certification for all road-going vehicles, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, agricultural vehicles, buses and coaches, ambulances, fire engines and motor caravans.

Mr Dalton concluded, “Bringing MEPs from all over Europe to see how our local industry works was extremely timely, and will prove to be very useful as we move forward with our negotiations on leaving the EU & on our future relationships with Europe."