Jaguar Land Rover’s confirmation that it is cutting around 4,000 jobs over the next two years has prompted a swift response from the government, with the Minister for Growth from HM Treasury, Daniel Tomlinson MP, saying ministers are treating the situation with the utmost seriousness.
A tough period has led to the cuts
JLR announced the cuts on 7 September as part of its “Growth Reimagined” strategy, a cost saving drive aimed at finding around £1.7 billion in savings and resetting the carmaker’s break even point to roughly 300,000 vehicles a year. The move follows a difficult period for the company, which is still recovering from a major cyber attack in 2025 that halted production for weeks, alongside the impact of US tariffs and softer demand for some models.
A big issue for the region
Given JLR’s significant footprint across the West Midlands, the announcement has raised concern locally about the knock-on effects for the region’s economy and supply chain.
Government’s react
Speaking on the government’s response, Mr Tomlinson said: “Any announcement of job losses or news of potential job losses is really concerning and the government of course takes it very seriously.”
On who within government is handling the response, Mr Tomlinson said the business secretary would be leading engagement with the company and unions directly. “The business secretary is taking a lead on this from the government’s side, he’ll be meeting with JLR and trade union representatives to talk about what the government can do,” he said.
Government reassures workers that Mr Tomlinson also sought to reassure workers who may be affected, stating: “We want to make sure that we’ll be there for working people who are affected by any changes that may be announced.”
Local support has been launched too
Regionally, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker has moved quickly to set up support for those affected, pulling together an initial £500,000 employment package to help JLR workers taking voluntary redundancy find new jobs. The rapid response package, set up at short notice following the announcement, could be increased further with support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with the aim of not only finding new roles for workers but safeguarding their advanced manufacturing and automotive skills within the West Midlands economy. WMCA staff have already begun working with the DWP, local authorities, employers and wider partners to coordinate careers support, skills advice and job matching for those affected.
Mayor Parker said: “The news from JLR will be deeply worrying for thousands of workers and their families, many of them here in the West Midlands. My thoughts are first and foremost with them. JLR is hugely important to our region and employs some of the most skilled people in Britain. The company has faced an incredibly difficult period – from the cyber attack last year to the impact of the war in the Middle East and continuing instability around global tariffs and trade.”
“I have been speaking with the Government and the Secretary of State over the weekend as to what we can do together to support workers and protect jobs in our region,” he continued. “That half a million-pound package is the starting point, not the limit of our support. If more help is needed, we are ready to do more… These are highly skilled people and I want those skills to stay here in the West Midlands. We have employers across our automotive, advanced manufacturing, research and development and other growing industries who need those skills. Our job now is to bring those opportunities and these workers together.”
Details of the cuts to be confirmed
The scale and pace of the job losses, and exactly which sites and roles will be affected, remain to be confirmed as JLR begins the first phase of redundancies. West Midlands News will continue to follow developments as the business secretary’s talks with JLR and trade unions take place.
