Ministers look at buying parts from JLR suppliers to save jobs

The government could start buying parts from Jaguar Land Rover's suppliers in a plan to protect manufacturing jobs from the impact of a severe cyber-attack.

- Lauren Almeida

The business secretary, Peter Kyle, is considering a plan that would lead to the government buying parts made by the suppliers, then selling them on to JLR when it resumes production of its vehicles, according to a report by ITV News. It is among several options under consideration.

JLR, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, was hit by a cyber-attack on 31 August, forcing it to freeze production in a shutdown that is expected to drag on into October.

The shutdown has meant that for weeks, Britain's biggest carmaker has been unable to produce at any of its factories across the UK, Slovakia, Brazil and India, costing it and its suppliers hundreds of millions of pounds. It poses an existential threat to JLR's estimated 700 direct suppliers, who rely on its "just in time" production schedules.

Unions have called for a furlough scheme for workers who are suffering because of the shutdown. While it is understood that ministers are considering various ways the government could provide support, so far they have not formally committed to providing any financial aid to help smaller suppliers survive.