Adrian Bailey, Labour MP for West Bromwich West, warned that the area will struggle to meet supply chain demands from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) after it announced a new engine plant and 2,000 new jobs in Wolverhampton in Novemeber.
The warning was issued in the House of Commons by Mr Bailey who is also a chairman at the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee. Jaguar Land Rover is owned by the Indian automotive giant, Tata Motors.
Mr Bailey said: “Tata has invested £300m in Jaguar Land Rover in a site to the north of Wolverhampton, with enormous employment potential locally.”
He continued: “The concern within the industry is that the extended supply chains of small and medium-sized enterprises that could service JLR may have a shortage of skilled apprentices, and I have already mentioned the potential need for capital investment to improve the capacity to meet the demand from JLR.”
He was speaking in a House of Commons debate that discussed how the government could support manufacturing.
