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Jaguar Land Rover are cutting staff down to a three-day week, it was revealed today - hours after a top Tory accused the firm of "making up" fears over Brexit.

Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin was branded "embarrassing" as Britain's biggest car giant blamed "continuing headwinds" for the change to many of its 2,000 staff in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands.

The change was revealed by the local Labour MP Jack Dromey after Mr Jenkin made his incendiary comments this morning.

Mr Dromey said staff are being cut to a three-day week until Christmas in an agreement with unions to avoid redundancies.

The BBC reported the move affects around half the 2,000 staff at the plant and they will remain on full pay.

Jaguar Land Rover confirmed it was making "temporary adjustments to our production schedules", though it refused to confirm the details or the number of people involved.

A spokeswoman said: "As is standard business practice, Jaguar Land Rover regularly reviews its production schedules to ensure market demand is balanced globally.

"In light of the continuing headwinds impacting the car industry, we are making some temporary adjustments to our production schedules at Castle Bromwich.

"We are however continuing to over-proportionally invest in new products and technologies, and are committed to our UK plants in which we have invested more than £4bn since 2010 to future proof manufacturing technologies to deliver new models."

It comes days after the firm's chief executive Ralf Speth warned “tens of thousands” of jobs could be lost if the UK doesn't get the "right Brexit deal".

Dr Speth, a professor at the University of Warwick, said: "Brexit is due to happen on the 29th March next year. Currently I do not even know if any of our manufacturing facilities in the UK will be able to function on the 30th."

Yet senior Tory Brexiteer Bernard Jenkin claimed the warnings were "made up".

(Image: Coventry Telegraph)

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm afraid I think he's making it up.

"We've had figures made up all the time by the scaremongers in this debate and I'm afraid nobody believes them."

The senior Tory was ridiculed as "embarrassing" by pro-Remain Tory MP Anna Soubry while Labour MP Gareth Thomas branded it "another unnecessary blow to the country’s struggling car industry by Brexiteers who just don’t seem to care."

Local MP Mr Dromey said the announcement was "clearly" due to Brexit, among other factors such as the transition from diesel.

He added: "Brexit chaos and the Government’s mishandling of the transition from diesel pose a growing threat to the future of the historic Castle Bromwich Jaguar plant.

"The plant has already lost the best part of 1000 jobs and will now be going onto a three-day week until Christmas to avoid further job losses.

“Brexit now threatens the jewel in the crown of British manufacturing excellence. Ministers must get it right or the future is bleak.

“This morning, a wide-eyed Brexiteer Bernard Jenkins MP, in his ideological zeal accused Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Ralf Speth of ‘making it up’. Now we know fears are justified. A hard Brexit or no deal will be catastrophic for Britain’s automotive industry."

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Labour MP Luke Pollard warned: "A no deal Brexit would devastate Car manafacturing in Britain. Let’s listen to the businesses who create jobs in our automotive sector not attempt to shut them up."

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: "This is the continuing effect of the chaotic mismanagement of the Brexit negotiations by the government.

“The situation is not helped when you have arch-Brexiteer MP Sir Bernard Jenkin accusing Ralf Speth of ‘making it up’ when it comes to Brexit and the car industry.

“Jenkins’ comments are highly irresponsible and misinformed when future employment is at stake and are entering into the world of fantasy economics."