Matt Western, MP for Warwick and Leamington, has thrown his support behind major local employer, Jaguar Land Rover, after the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, said they “deserve to go bust”.
Jaguar Land Rover employ thousands of people in Warwickshire, with many of those employed by the company living within Western’s Warwick and Leamington constituency.
Farage’s comments came after Jaguar announced their rebrand with a widely discussed publicity trailer ahead of the launch of their new concept car.
Matt Western Vs Nigel Farage
In a video shared on his social media platforms, Farage claimed that Jaguar sales figures had fallen by 25% in the last quarter leading him to claim he was right.
Regarding these claims, Matt Western argued this was simply because existing Jaguar models are on run-out. Mr Western worked in the automotive sector for 24 years.
In a previous video after the ad was released, Farage said: “I predict Jaguar will now go bust and you know what, they deserve to.”
In response, Matt Western said Farage’s comments were “utter tosh” and “potentially deeply damaging”.
The local MP said, “what hacks me off more than nearly anything is people who talk down UK manufacturers, especially those important to my constituency.”
Only last week, Matt Western visited the Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon site following a previous visit to the Solihull site last year.
Commenting on the attack on Jaguar, the MP for Warwick and Leamington said:
“It is no secret to anyone that lives in Warwick and Leamington that Jaguar Land Rover is a major employer and contributes enormously to our local economy.
To have a politician, who I imagine has never stepped foot in our towns, make a shouty video declaring one of our major employers deserve to go bust because they made an advert which he didn’t like is utterly ridiculous.
He is looking for a soundbite. We’re looking to keep high quality jobs for local people. And I think we know what matters more.
So, unless Mr Farage wishes to visit Warwick and Leamington and tell the thousands of people who are employed by Jaguar Land Rover that he wants their employer to go bust and leave them out of a job, I suggest he sits this one out.”