Cable drive to safeguard UK jobs at Geneva Motor Show Last Thursday, Mr Cable met with Dan Akerson, GM's chief executive, during a flying visit to New York to press the case for saving the factory from a shutdown, with the loss of 2,100 jobs. At the time, Dan Ammann, GM's chief financial officer, said the losses were unacceptable and the company was working "rapidly and decisively" to lower the break-even rate. "We expect to have something to say soon," he added, morbidly. Ellesmere Port is the UK's last legacy plant. No other mainstream Western car manufacturer still makes cars in the UK. Ford, the biggest selling brand in the UK, disappeared from manufacturing here in the 1990s when production of the Escort was shifted to Spain. The plant remains one of GM's most productive. Ellesmere employs 2,100 staff but can make 187,000 vehicles a year. In contrast, GM's Bochum plant in Germany employs 3,100 and has a capacity of 160,000 vehicles.