MP for Warwick and Leamington, Matt Western, has welcomed the Government's announcement that it will provide Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee expected to unlock £1.5 billion of support for its supply chain.

Following the recent cyber-attack on the British car manufacturer, JLR has today announced that it will begin a 'controlled, phased restart' of its operations in the coming days. 

Responding to this news, Matt Western MP said: "It is really encouraging to hear that the company is restarting its manufacturing operations.

"JLR was enjoying an exceptionally successful year in the run up to September and this attack has been a major set-back."

Mr Western has repeatedly stressed the importance of Government intervention for JLR's supply chain and has been joined by other West Midlands MPs in calling for decisive action to safeguard the UK's automotive sector. 

He added that the Government must ensure that its package of support is "filtered down beyond Tier 1 to the smaller suppliers to ensure continuity and preserve the businesses and jobs."

"I've been in close contact with the company, supply chains and Government ministers to ensure swift and meaningful support is delivered" said Mr Western.

The loan guarantee, backed by UK Export Finance, is expected to unlock up to £1.5 billion in private finance to stabilise JLR's operations and protect jobs across the West Midlands, Merseyside, and beyond.

Since production at JLR came to a halt at the end of August, the company has lost almost £50 million per week, whilst the knock-on effects of this disruption have been extensive.

More than 34,000 people are directly employed by JLR in the UK, many of whom work at manufacturing sites in the West Midlands. In addition, JLR operates the largest supply chain in the UK's automotive sector and employs around 120,00 people.

Following the Government's announcement of a support package for JLR, Mr Western said: "This intervention is welcome and necessary. But we must go further.

"The cyber-attack has exposed vulnerabilities in our industrial resilience. I will continue pressing the Government to ensure long-term investment in digital security, infrastructure, and skills to future-proof our automotive sector."