Britishvolt expected to fall into administration

Britishvolt is expected to fall into administration on Tuesday morning, the BBC understands, after hopes of a last-minute bid for the company were dashed.

A notice is expected to be filed in insolvency courts, according to people familiar with the matter.

The firm, which plans a factory to make electric car batteries, will hold an all-staff meeting at 12:00 on Tuesday.

It is understood the company wants to tell staff before making a public announcement.

The company's board is believed to have decided at a lengthy meeting on Monday that there were no viable bids to keep the company afloat.

"It is a great shame, not just for Britishvolt and its 300 employees but also for the future of battery making in the UK," a person close to the matter said.

The company was hoping to build a new £3.8bn battery factory in the Port of Blyth in Northumberland.

An existing shareholder added: "It's madness, I have been offering a variety of possible solutions. Falls on deaf ears. It appears, to me, that management wants the company to go into administration. A real shame for the people of Northumberland and the country."

The ambitious but financially troubled start up only narrowly avoided collapse at the end of last year after an emergency lifeline was extended by one of its investors, the commodity trading giant Glencore.

Last year, Britishvolt asked the government to advance £30m of a promised £100m in support, but was refused as the company had not hit agreed construction milestones to access the funds.

Industry experts say the UK will need several battery factories to support the future of UK car making as petrol and diesel engines are phased out over the next decade.

The UK currently only has one Chinese-owned plant next to the Nissan factory in Sunderland, while 35 plants are planned or already under construction in the EU.

But both industry and government sources remain confident that this plant will eventually be built - whoever ends up owning it.