The future of the West Midlands car industry has become one of the region's most pressing economic questions, and the Prime Minister has now made his position clear.

Andy Burnham has described Jaguar Land Rover and the wider regional automotive sector as the jewel in the crown of the UK economy.

Speaking in a regional political interview, he insisted that large-scale car manufacturing still has a long-term future in Britain.

Why are car industry suppliers worried?

The Prime Minister's comments come as companies that supply JLR have raised the alarm in an open letter.

They argue that the British automotive supply chain is now in the wrong market and have asked for government support to move their skills and factories into aerospace and defence.

Their warning is stark.

The suppliers describe JLR's plan to cut 4,000 jobs as the first visible crack in a supply chain that supports around 183,000 manufacturing jobs.

What has the government said?

Mr Burnham acknowledged there are pressures in the global car market but said his priority remains helping the industry continue.

He said the government would take the suppliers' concerns seriously and confirmed he was prepared to consider their proposal.

Ministers are also working with the European Union on proposed Made in Europe rules, which are designed to protect European manufacturers from global competition.

The concern is that shutting British firms out of those rules could damage supply chains that cross the Channel every day.

Why does JLR matter so much to the West Midlands?

JLR's global headquarters is in Coventry, and it runs major plants at Solihull, Castle Bromwich and Wolverhampton.

Its design centre is at Gaydon in Warwickshire, and it also builds cars at Halewood on Merseyside.

For thousands of Birmingham households, the company and the smaller firms that supply it are a direct source of skilled, well-paid work.

Castle Bromwich, on the city's eastern edge, has been a centre of vehicle and aircraft production for generations.

That is why any wobble in the car industry is felt quickly across the region's economy.

What could happen next?

The debate now centres on whether the region should double down on cars, diversify into sectors such as aerospace and defence, or attempt both at once.

Much will depend on the outcome of talks with the EU and on how quickly demand for new vehicles recovers.

For workers in the supply chain, clarity on those questions cannot come soon enough.

Brum in Focus will continue to follow what these decisions mean for jobs in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.

Image: Photo by Lilian Do Khac on Unsplash (illustrative, not a JLR factory).