Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

JLR hits bumpy road amid rumours of Peugeot sale

by Amit Roy

NOT so long ago, the Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was held up as the showpiece of British automotive manufacturing.


But in the past few days, there have been credible reports that JLR might be sold or merge with the French group, PSA, owners of the Peugeot, Citroen and Vauxhall.

“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on media speculation, but we can confirm there is no truth to these rumours,” a JLR spokesman told reporters.

But Alain Le Gouguec, a spokesman for the Paris-based manufacturer, commented: “In principle, we are open to opportunities that could create long-term value for the PSA Group and its shareholders.”

It is believed a “post-sale integration document”, which outlines the benefits of the two companies joining forces, is already in circulation and the firms are exploring the detail of cost savings after a tie-up.

One paper interviewed a former Land Rover chief engineer, Dr Charles Tennant, who said: “This comes as no surprise at all and we should not take any notice of either Tata Motors or Jaguar Land Rover denials at all.

“They are obliged to deny it until the ink is dry on the contract.”

He added: “Last year I advised Lord [Kumar] Bhattacharyya – who until his sad passing was advising Ratan Tata on Jaguar Land Rover strategy – that JLR was in a death spiral of its own making, and Tata would need to fund massive investment now or sell up.

“Clearly, Tata have looked at what the £2.5 billion cost savings plan

will deliver in the context of future sales and profit forecasts, and perhaps they can see a cliff edge ahead.”

It was Lord Bhattacharyya, chairman of the Warwick Manufacturing Group, who advised Tata to buy JLR. Kumar, a great supporter of the company, is missed more than ever.

Is Brexit to blame for JLR’s troubles?

Problems with the market for diesel vehicles and declining sales in China are given as the reasons, but in the past JLR management had warned about the dangers from Britain leaving the EU.

The Brextremists insist it is also not to blame for the fact that the aerospace firm, Bombardier, which employs about 3,600 people, is putting its Northern Ireland operation up for sale as part of a reorganisation of the Canada-owned business.

Meanwhile, Nissan plans to end the production of two of its Infiniti cars at Sunderland. The move follows Nissan’s decision to build its new X-Trail model in Japan, instead of Sunderland (which voted 61.3 per cent to leave in the referendum).

Also Honda will close its Swindon plant in 2021, with the loss of 3,500 jobs.

Again, Brextremists say Brexit is not to blame. But anyone who is open minded will see it has created an atmosphere in which one company after another is starting to fail.

One day Britain may well occupy the sunlit slopes of a Brexit paradise, but we will have to be prepared to go through self-induced hell and mass unemployment to get there.

This is why British Asians must turn out to vote in the European parliament elections next Thursday (23).

More For You

One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Sir Keir Starmer

Getty Images

One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Do not expect any parties in Downing Street to celebrate the government’s first birthday on Friday (4). After a rocky year, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had more than a few regrets when giving interviews about his first year in office.

He explained that he chose the wrong chief of staff. That his opening economic narrative was too gloomy. That choosing the winter fuel allowance as a symbol of fiscal responsibility backfired. Starmer ‘deeply regretted’ the speech he gave to launch his immigration white paper, from which only the phrase ‘island of strangers’ cut through. Can any previous political leader have been quite so self-critical of their own record in real time?

Keep ReadingShow less
starmer-bangladesh-migration
Sir Keir Starmer
Getty Images

Comment: Can Starmer turn Windrush promises into policy?

Anniversaries can catalyse action. The government appointed the first Windrush Commissioner last week, shortly before Windrush Day, this year marking the 77th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.

The Windrush generation came to Britain believing what the law said – that they were British subjects, with equal rights in the mother country. But they were to discover a different reality – not just in the 1950s, but in this century too. It is five years since Wendy Williams proposed this external oversight in her review of the lessons of the Windrush scandal. The delay has damaged confidence in the compensation scheme. Williams’ proposal had been for a broader Migrants Commissioner role, since the change needed in Home Office culture went beyond the treatment of the Windrush generation itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark

The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.

  Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Keep ReadingShow less
If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s last Friday (13) attack, are seen above a road, as heavy smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Teheran hit in an overnight Israeli strike last Sunday (15)

If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

THERE is one question to which none of us has the answer: if the ayatollahs are toppled, who will take over in Teheran?

I am surprised that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, has lasted as long as he has. He is 86, and would achieve immortality as a “martyr” in the eyes of regime supporters if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succeeded in assassinating him. This was apparently Netanyahu’s plan, though he was apparently dissuaded by US president Donald Trump from going ahead with the killing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England

Getty Images

Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

WAS a national inquiry needed into so-called grooming gangs? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer did not think so in January, but now accepts Dame Louise Casey’s recommendation to commission one.

The previous Conservative government – having held a seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse – started loudly championing a new national inquiry once it lost the power to call one. Casey explains why she changed her mind too after her four-month, rapid audit into actions taken and missed on group-based exploitation and abuse. A headline Casey theme is the ‘shying away’ from race.

Keep ReadingShow less