Government support for the car industry laid out in the industrial strategy’s automotive sector deal is insufficient to have a real impact on Britain’s car industry, it has been claimed.

The Government unveiled the sector deal on Wednesday, saying it would prioritise electric power trains, driverless cars and making the UK’s supply chain more competitive as areas for funding.

A series of small government funding packages totalling almost £60m were also revealed, along with a pledge of £250m of joint industry-public funding for the industry with turns over £77.5bn a year in the UK.

However, the measures were criticised by Professor David Bailey, a car industry expert at Aston University.

“The sums of money on offer are not game-changers – whether in terms of supply chain support, or on broader technology support,” he said.