“But he won’t be able to make any commitments. Everything’s being played very close to people’s chests.”

Brown could be concerned if Magna completes due diligence on the takeover, that UK workers will be vulnerable to job cuts.

Magna has promised only to safeguard jobs in Germany after Angela Merkel’s government guaranteed £4bn in sweeteners for the consortium.

Winning a commitment to manufacture the electric cars in Cheshire would mean thousands of jobs will stay in Merseyside.

But, just 48 hours after Magna emerged as front-runner, the European Commission said it was investigating the takeover.

EU president Jose Manuel Barroso’s move was apparently a response to Belgian complaints about the German government’s cash pledge. Magna would apparently guarantee the future of four German factories while an Antwerp plant employing 2,700 potentially faces the axe.

In a statement on Thursday, Magna said it was committed to keeping Ellesmere Port up and running, but made no mention of staff levels or how many vehicles would be made there.