September 9, 2025 - 20:24 UK Time

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is receiving "daily" support from the government after a devastating cyber attack brought its operations to a grinding halt. The British car manufacturer shut down production on Tuesday, and its staff have been told to stay at home for another day, with no clear timeline for their return to work.

The company's 34,000 UK workers are facing an uncertain future as the government struggles to contain the fallout from the attack. Business Minister Sir Chris Bryant acknowledged that it was a "very live situation" and that he couldn't provide a specific date for when operations would resume.

"I wish that I could provide one, but I cannot," said Mr. Bryant, who is tasked with coordinating the government's response to the crisis. He also refused to comment on whether the incident was linked to a similar attack on British retailers earlier this year, which are thought to have cost Marks & Spencer (M&S) around £300m.

Four people were arrested in connection with the April attacks and have since been bailed. Scattered Spider, a hacking group, has taken credit for the latest attack, but Mr. Bryant was tight-lipped about the specifics of their involvement.

"I do not think anybody has come to any secure decisions on that," he said, emphasizing that the government is still investigating the incident. "I do not know if it's linked or not."

Local MPs whose constituents are impacted by the shutdown have been invited to a Q&A session with JLR management at their plant in Halewood, where thousands of jobs are at risk. Labour MP Derek Twigg has raised concerns about the economic impact of the shutdown on his constituency.

"The JLR Halewood plant in my constituency is an important and valued employer," said Mr. Twigg. "Many of my constituents are employees, which is also the case for my neighbouring Merseyside MPs. Thousands of jobs in the supply chain have been affected."

Mr. Twigg warned that there could be a lasting effect on the economy if the situation is not managed properly.

"There could be an ongoing and even more serious effect on our economy," he said. "We simply cannot afford any degree of complacency in this."

In response, Sir Chris Bryant emphasized the importance of taking cyber attacks seriously.

"There are major criminals operating in this space, as well as some malicious state actors, and some 40% of companies in the UK last year reported that they had faced some kind of cyber attack. So it is a very important issue that we take seriously."

JLR has reassured its retail partners that their stores will remain open while work is suspended.

"We are very sorry for the disruption this incident has caused," said JLR in a statement. "Our retail partners remain open and we will continue to provide further updates."

The company continues to work around the clock to restart production in a controlled and safe manner.