Manufacturing sector falters in wake of JLR cyber-attack

The UK manufacturing sector posted a sharp decline in output this month as Britain’s biggest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, suffered a cyber-attack and paused production, a shutdown that will drag on into October.

- Julia Kollewe Lauren Almeida

The business secretary, Peter Kyle, and the industry minister, Chris McDonald, met with employees from JLR and its suppliers yesterday as the government assessed the fallout from the online attack.

A monthly survey of purchasing managers at UK manufacturers showed output shrinking at the fastest pace in six months in September, with order books weakening - partly due to the JLR shutdown. This led to a worsening decline across the manufacturing sector, with the headline index at a five-month low.