Council urges Government to protect Jaguar Land Rover jobs

Birmingham City Council has called on the Government to step in with targeted support for Jaguar Land Rover and its supply chain, after the carmaker announced that up to 4,000 jobs could be lost.

The council has written to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade setting out JLR's strategic importance and asking for intervention to protect jobs, preserve critical skills and strengthen supply chains.

"A setback" for the city's economy

Councillor Roger Harmer, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said JLR contributes £8.7 billion to the regional economy and supports thousands of local jobs.

"The potential job losses will impact households and communities across the city and the region at a time where families are already struggling to make ends meet," he said.

He described the announcement as a setback at a time when Birmingham is trying to grow its economy against national trends and tackle high rates of adult and youth unemployment.

Competition from imports

The council leader pointed to the rapid growth of Chinese vehicle imports, which he said were reported to have risen by 121 per cent year on year and now make up around 21 per cent of the UK car market. He argued that the UK must decide whether to let strategically important manufacturers compete on an uneven playing field, or take proportionate action to support investment, innovation and fair competition.

He compared the situation with the Government's intervention to safeguard steel production in Scunthorpe last year, saying the challenges facing JLR and its suppliers were of equivalent strategic importance.

Far beyond the factory gates

JLR directly employs more than 20,000 people across the region, and its reach extends well beyond its own workforce through a large network of suppliers and manufacturers. In 2024 the company was estimated to support almost 80,000 jobs in the region and up to 200,000 nationally.

The council says a failure to act could have significant consequences for communities across the area, as well as holding back future economic growth in the city.