No bailout for UK’s biggest carmaker with 4,000 jobs ‘to be axed’ in brutal cost-cutting drive

BRITAIN’S biggest car maker will not receive a government bailout – as thousands of jobs are at risk. This comes as part of a major redundancy programme, according to reports. The firm confirmed over the weekend it would be opening a redundancy programme Credit: Getty Images Jaguar Land Rover is expected to announce more than 4,000 job cuts as part of a voluntary redundancy programme to help save the company billions over the next two years. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has already confirmed there will be no government bailout for Britain’s largest car manufacturer. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Instead, he is expected to meet the firm’s leadership team early this week to “mitigate any job losses”. JLR announced in a statement over the weekend that it would be opening a voluntary redundancy programme to offer salaried and management team members the opportunity to leave the business. Staff were warned of the announcement late on Friday, with the majority of cuts expected to affect UK operations. Employing around 34,000 staff members across the nation, the cuts are believed to be the result of rising operational costs and plunging sales – as the company continues to recover from major cyber attack that halted production last year. It is also thought that many of the redundancies will be within non-production teams. A JLR spokesperson said: “Over the past three years, we have strengthened our house of brands and transformed our product portfolio for the next generation. Most read in Motors “As we deliver the next phase of our strategy, we need to adapt to evolving global market conditions while targeting approximately £1.7 billion of savings over the next two years and reduce break-evens to 300,000 vehicles. “To achieve this, we must further simplify our organisation, improve efficiency and build greater resilience.” A Government spokesperson added that it was a “concerning time for affected workers” and that it had taken “significant action to back the UK automotive industry by lowering electricity bills for manufacturers”. The redundancies come after JLR revealed plans at the end of July to cut up to 300 jobs under its budget overhaul. The manufacturer holds major sites across the UK, including at Solihull, West Midlands and Halewood, Merseyside. However, UK and European manufacturers have struggled in recent years to compete with Chinese carmakers producing cheaper electric vehicles. Comment now