JAGUAR Land Rover fired a shot across the Government’s bows yesterday, warning a “hands-off approach” to manufacturing would be disastrous.

At a conference fringe meeting, the Mersey carmaker issued a plea for vital aid to industry to escape the massive spending cuts to be announced next month.

The call came as the Con/Lib-Dem coalition rethinks the “industrial activism” pioneered by Labour in its dying years, which delivered pump-priming loans and grants to firms seen as vital for future growth.

Andrew McCall, the government affairs director at Jaguar – which employs around 2,000 people at its Halewood plant – also demanded the Government “buy British” at all times.

He told the meeting: “We should not have any publicly-funded vehicle fleets which are not British-built and that means the police, fire service and ambulances.

“They would not do it in Germany, they would not do it in France and we should not be doing it here.”

But the main thrust of Mr McCall’s speech was a call for the Con/Lib-Dem coalition to continue funding for research and development, better skills, more badly- needed engineers and ease restrictions on loans.

Industry recognised it would not receive a “big fat cheque” but, Mr McCall added: “Industrial support means money – you cannot avoid a decision about that, even in these straitened times.

“Whatever ingredients there are in the Government’s role, it does need to be an active role.”

Mr McCall also heaped praise on the trade unions at Jaguar, for accepting reduced hours and flexible working to save jobs.