UK newspapers start online campaign to rescue JLR

06 January 2009

Five regional papers in the UK have launched a joint campaign to persuade readers into signing an online petition to force the UK government to rescue the iconic brands Jaguar and Land Rover, now owned by Tata Motors, so that 75,000 jobs could be saved.

The Coventry Telegraph, Birmingham Post and Mail, The Daily Post, Liverpool Post and Echo combined forces in a bid to save Jaguar - Land Rover by urging the government to come out with the much-needed auto bailout to enable automobile manufacturers in the UK to tide through the current economic crisis.

Jaguar and Land Rover were acquired by Tata Motors from Ford for £1.15 billion in June last year (See: Tata Motors becomes new owner of Jaguar, Land Rover) with the backing of the workers union Unite in exchange for a promise of no-layoffs. 

However, the liquidity crunch and declining sales in the aftermath of the acquisition forced Tata Motors to cut production, warning that jobs could be lost if the government did not come forward to ease the credit market or make available £1 billion in low interest loans to tide over the current crisis.

The five papers are now urging the government through its online e-petition on the Downing Street website to provide the necessary loan to the British brands to tide over the credit crisis and retain its role as the leading car manufacturer in UK.

Birmingham Post editor, Marc Reeves said the joint campaign by the five newspapers was one of the most important to have been launched in the newspaper's150-year history.