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Business Secretary to Meet Jaguar Land Rover Bosses Amid Job Cut Reports
Confirmed
In Short: The Business Secretary is set to meet with Jaguar Land Rover executives next week as the company considers cutting up to 4,000 jobs.
The Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is scheduled to meet with Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO, PB Balaji, next week to discuss potential job cuts at the UK’s largest car manufacturer. According to reports, as many as 4,000 positions could be affected over the next two years due to a cyber-attack, US tariffs, and falling sales.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is shifting its focus to electric models as part of a strategy overhaul aimed at boosting the brand’s fortunes. The company recently launched its first electric Range Rover, priced at £154,070, in an effort to appeal to climate-conscious consumers. However, the company has been recovering from a significant cyber-attack last year that had a major impact on its operations, employees, and the wider UK economy.
In addition to the cyber-attack, JLR has faced challenges from US tariffs and declining sales, which have significantly impacted the company’s revenues. The firm has also paused production for its Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models at its Solihull plant in March due to a fire at a component manufacturer in Norway.
The Business Secretary is expected to discuss the potential job cuts with JLR’s leadership team, which includes the CEO and other key executives. According to reports, JLR informed employees on Friday that it is opening a voluntary redundancy program, offering salaried and management team members the opportunity to leave the business.
Meanwhile, the company is also facing pressure from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has expanded its beef price investigation to include eight major retail chains, including Walmart and Amazon. The Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, has praised the Trump administration’s agriculture agenda and criticized Biden-era food policies, accusing the former administration of pushing Americans away from traditional meat products.
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- "[We're] really focusing on young ranchers, getting more people into the business of growing and farming and ranching, is part of this," Rollins said.
- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses the USDA's new initiative to boost the American cattle herd, efforts to lower record-high beef prices and plans to ease meat processing rules for local ranchers.
- Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, told the BBC she and the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, would meet JLR’s chief executive, PB Balaji, next week, after a weekend of intensive talks to mitigate job losses.
- Most of them work at 14 plants across the West Midlands, where the company is one of the region’s largest employers.