The government is weighing extraordinary measures to shield Britain’s manufacturing base from the fallout of Jaguar Land Rover’s crippling cyberattack, including buying up parts from suppliers to prevent mass job losses.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle is understood to be considering a scheme where ministers would purchase parts from JLR’s 700-strong supplier network and sell them back once production resumes. The move comes after a hack on 31 August forced JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, to freeze output across plants in the UK, Slovakia, Brazil and India.
The shutdown, now entering its fourth week, has cost the carmaker and its supply chain hundreds of millions of pounds. Unions have warned that the stoppage poses an existential threat to smaller suppliers reliant on JLR’s “just in time” schedules, with some already pausing production and sending workers home.
JLR has scrambled to keep its network afloat, reportedly paying £300m to partners in recent days and assigning 50 staff to manually process payments. But with no end yet in sight, pressure is building on ministers to intervene.
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