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That's the verdict of industrial expert Johnathan Dudley, who says that without more support, many of these smaller companies will struggle to make it through to the new year. While government support is helping the larger suppliers weather the aftermath of the six-week shutdown, businesses further down the supply chain are struggling for survival. For them, the crisis could not have come at a worse time, their empty order books coinciding with soaring energy bills. The forthcoming government defence contracts may offer these companies some hope, but these will not come on stream until April at the earliest. For many, the question will about whether they can survive for that long. Mr Dudley voices concerns that Whitehall does not grasp the seriousness of the situation. Which in turn begs the question of whether this is one of the consequences of having a cabinet which, for first time in recent memory, does not include a single minister with serious business experience. Did the Prime Minister never consider this might be a problem when he formed his government? The situation is looking so grim that TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak demanded the Government gets it act together during a visit to Jaguar Land Rover's Solihull works. Yet it would be wrong to lay all the responsibility at the Government's door. Jaguar Land Rover itself made a £2.5 billion profit last year, and it is surely in its own interests to offer short-term help to some of the businesses it could very well soon be relying on to keep the production lines running. The other car manufacturers who depend on these smaller businesses could also find themselves in a bind if their suppliers disappear during the coming months. It is in the interests of both the Government and the automotive industry to recognise their mutual interests and start working together., and thinking beyond the immediate, short-term bottom line. Because if the small and mid-sized suppliers of the Black Country are left to wither on the vine, the skills and know-how that these companies provide will be lost forever. And that would be bad news not only for the British car industry, but also for the Government's strategic defence plans.
