BUSINESS leaders in Liverpool and Birmingham have pledged their backing for our Support Jaguar Land Rover campaign.

Our drive to win government backing for the car giant in the midst of the worst economic downturn in decades has inspired the cities’ two Chambers of Commerce to launch their own joint campaign in support of the company, which employs 2,200 staff at Halewood and more than 13,000 in the Midlands.

It comes amid reports Chancellor Alistair Darling is close to finalising a proposed loan guarantee scheme that JLR could possibly tap into.

Executives from the leading banks met Mr Darling and Gordon Brown at the Prime Minister’s weekend Chequers retreat.

Tata, the Indian parent company of JLR, is also understood to have recruited American bank Citigroup to advise on talks with government.

Sources close to the firm are said to believe the Government is close to approving a £500m bridging loan.

But, sources on the Government side are reported to have said JLR does not appear to be in urgent need of a cash injection.

More than 5,500 people have already signed our petition for the Government to provide a loan or loan guarantee to JLR since our campaign launched last Tuesday.

The campaign was launched in conjunction with our sister paper the Echo, and our Midlands stablemates the Birmingham Post and Mail and Coventry Telegraph.

Last night, Liverpool Chamber chief executive Jack Stopforth said since Indian conglomerate Tata bought JLR’s operations in the Midlands and Halewood for £1.15bn last June, the two Chambers had worked closely together.

He said: “The Birmingham and Liverpool Chambers are up for a joint campaign.

“I have had talks with my counterpart in Birmingham, Jerry Blackett, to see what kind of initiatives we can come up with.

“We are all, by nature, free marketeers and are uncomfortable and suspicious of government intervention, but the car industry is a special case.

“Once you lose something as significant as an automotive plant, there is no replacing it.

‘‘You lose training opportunities and the supply chain. The alternative is too frightening to contemplate. The research and development and innovation assets that sit in companies like JLR and Vauxhall are crucial.