MERSEYSIDE MP Eddie O’Hara last night described Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant as a “poker chip” in a high stakes game between its owners and the Government.
The Knowsley South MP said he was urgently seeking a meeting with ministers to help release cash for the car manufacturer.
JLR officials last night insisted it was business as usual at its Halewood plant, despite reports of impending closure and an extended summer break.
The statement follows weekend speculation that JLR’s Indian owner, Tata, was considering shutting the site with the loss of 2,000 jobs.
It follows a stand-off with the Government over its refusal so far to underwrite an emergency £340m funding package from Europe.
Last night, Mr O’Hara said: “I met with the chief executive, David Smith, on Wednesday, and it was clear that the problem is cash flow.
“Clearly, Halewood is vulnerable until the new LRX model is confirmed.
“What we agreed on Wednesday is that we need further talks with ministers to get the cash flowing.
“This is high stakes, but it’s not as if there is a clear plan to close Halewood, it’s a poker chip.”
Neil Barlow, chief executive of the North West Automotive Alliance, said JLR owners Tata were now “at the end of their tether” with the UK government over the loans.
A JLR spokeswoman at Halewood declined to comment on the closure rumours, describing it as mere speculation.
And she added: “As far as we are aware, the summer shutdown is the normal two weeks, from the last week in July to the first in August, and we have not announced any plans to extend that.”
