By Emer Moreau

Copyright bbc

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said it was the “government’s responsibility to protect jobs and industries that are a vital part of the economy”.

“Workers in the JLR supply chain must not be made to pay the price for the cyber attack,” she added.

Minister for Industry Chris McDonald met representatives from JLR on Tuesday.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said he has had discussions with the firm about restarting production and will be meeting with others in the industry, and those that supply it, in the coming days to hear about the issues they are facing as a result of the cyber attack.

“We know this is a worrying time for those affected, and although Jaguar Land Rover are taking the lead on support for their own supply chain, our cyber experts are supporting them to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” he said.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday there were currently no discussions about offering taxpayer help to JLR amid the production pause.

JLR’s supply chain supports 104,000 jobs in the UK and sits at the top of a pyramid of suppliers, many of whom are highly dependent on the carmaker being their main customer.

The hack, which occurred more than two weeks ago, has forced the manufacturer to shut down its computer systems and close production lines worldwide.

The crisis is thought to have cost JLR at least £50m a week. A criminal investigation is under way.

There are growing concerns that many of JLR’s suppliers, small and medium-sized firms, do not have the resources to cope with an extended interruption to business and subsequent losses.