CONSERVATIVE shadow chancellor George Osborne has backed calls for government help to secure credit for Jaguar Land Rover and support thousands of Merseyside car industry jobs.

He said Jaguar Land Rover was a world-class company, and that “the Government should help”.

But the opposition MP also claimed that Jaguar should not be cherry-picked for special treatment.

He instead repeated his party’s call for a National Loan Guarantee Scheme to allow banks to lend to any viable business suffering from the credit crunch.

Mr Osborne said: “Jaguar Land Rover is a key employer, not only directly employing thousands of people but also creating jobs for many thousands more in the supply chain.

“It is exactly the kind of hi-tech, research-based manufacturing business we want to see in Britain, and its new work on greener vehicles is world-class.

“Of course, its foreign owners Tata must provide the support to the company that we expect.

“But, in so far as Jaguar Land Rover’s problems are to do with a failure to get credit because of the credit crunch, government should help.”

But, rather than support a direct government loan, he instead outlined the Conservatives’ call for the National Loan Guarantee Scheme.

He said: “The scheme offers help to all otherwise sound companies suffering through lack of credit.”