JLR shutdown extended again as ministers meet suppliers

Staff at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will be out of work for at least another week as the business secretary prepares to meet suppliers of the car maker who are at risk of closure.

JLR's production lines ground to a halt in late August following a major cyber attack, and fears are growing that the company's suppliers could go bust without support.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle will visit JLR to meet firms in the supply chain for the beleaguered carmaker.

JLR said in a statement on Tuesday that it would not be resuming production until October 1 at the earliest, an extension from the previous date of September 24.

"Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues, and our retailers who remain open," the statement said.

"We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience."

Industry minister Chris McDonald said he was visiting JLR alongside the business secretary to "host companies in the supply chain, to listen to workers and hear how we can support them and help get production back online."

He said in a statement: "We have two priorities, helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.

"We are acutely aware of the difficulties the stoppage is causing for those suppliers and their staff, many of whom are already taking a financial hit through no fault of their own - and we will do everything we can to reassure them that the government is on their side."

Suppliers are anxious to be heard, according to Johnathan Dudley, the head of manufacturing for accounting and consulting firm Crowe UK. The firm is based in the West Midlands, which is where the Solihull and Wolverhampton plants are.

"Obviously, they're being very, very cautious because they don't want to create panic, and equally, they don't want to be seen to be criticizing people further up the chain," he said.

"It's not a blame game, but it is a cry for help, because there are businesses now seeing people not paying [staff]."