Jaguar Land Rover announces week-long factory shutdown over Brexit

Jaguar Land Rover is to halt production at its UK factories for a week in November in preparation for Brexit.

The Gaydon-based car maker, which has voiced its concerns previously about a disorderly departure from the EU, said had to make plans now, including a stop to production at its four British factories during the first week of November.

Speaking to reporters at the opening of a new advanced product creation centre in Gaydon, chief executive Ralf Speth said “We cannot think about it, we just have to do it.

“I need 20 million parts a day and that means I have to make commitments to my suppliers, I have to have every and each part available and I have to have it just in time.”

The move will affect factories in Solihull, Castle Bromwich and Halewood in Merseyside and its engine factory near Wolverhampton.

The decision was later confirmed by a JLR spokesman, who said: “Jaguar Land Rover confirms that it will be suspending production at all UK manufacturing plants for one week commencing November 4 2019.

“This prudent decision reflects the need to adjust production in the face of ongoing uncertainty caused by global external headwinds, including Brexit, which have impacted our sales volumes.”

JLR’s planned factory shutdown follows that of BMW and Toyota.

Toyota said in August it would not build cars at its British factory on November 1 and BMW is to pause production at its Oxford plant on October 31 and November 1.