Carmaker accused of ‘making up’ warning reveals cuts in staff hours
Jaguar Land Rover has announced a cut in production due to“continuing head winds” affecting the car industry, hours after its chief executive was accused of fabricating warnings about potential hard Brexit job losses.
The automotive giant said it was making “temporary adjustments” at its Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham, with the area’s MP saying staff had been placed on a threeday week until Christmas.
The move came hours after former shadow minister Sir Bernard Jenkin accused Professor Dr Ralf Speth of scare-
mongering over a warning that crashing out of the EU would have a “horrifying” effect on business.
Prof Speth told the UK’S first Zero Emission Vehicle Summit in Birmingham last week that a hard Brex- it could result in the “worst of times” for the UK while the cost to Jaguar Land Rover would be more than £1.2 billion a year.
Asked his view on the German businessman’s warning yesterday, Sir Bernard, a member of the Eurosceptic European Research Group, told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “I’m afraid I think he’s making it up. We’ve had figures made up all the time by the scaremongers in this debate and I’m afraid nobody believes them.”
Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: “This is the continuing effect of the chaotic mismanagement of the Brexit negotiations by the government.”