Major Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) suppliers have urged the government to assist automotive manufacturers in moving into the aerospace and defence industries. They warned that large-scale car production in the UK faces a long-term decline.
In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Chancellor, and West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, industry leaders stated that Britain's automotive supply chain was "not in decline" but "in the wrong market." This intervention follows JLR's announcement of 4,000 job cuts nearly two weeks prior.
Signatories to the letter, including Coventry-based Evtec and Solihull-based Artifex, described the redundancies as "the first visible crack" in a UK automotive supply chain that supports approximately 183,000 manufacturing jobs. The group also includes the Confederation of British Metal Forming, which represents about 75,000 workers.
David Roberts, chairman of Evtec, said manufacturers believe high-volume car production in the UK is entering a decade of decline. He argued there is a "very big opportunity" to redirect skills, factories, and investment into the UK's expanding aerospace and defence sectors. The letter called for lower industrial energy costs, support for firms to qualify for aerospace and defence contracts, and a West Midlands programme to accelerate this transition.
A Treasury spokesperson acknowledged the uncertainty facing workers and stated the government is supporting the automotive sector through grants, lower energy costs, and investment in electric vehicle production. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds reportedly met with JLR and trade union representatives following the redundancy announcement, pointing to government backing for electric vehicle production via the £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme.