I was working on an article about the many shows of incompetence of the present government, when one of the most spectacular examples is unfolding on the news as I type.
At about 21:40 this evening, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewett announced at a hastily arranged press conference that the board of MG Rover had called in the administrators after a deal with a chinese auto manufacturer fell through.
It so happened that a BBC journalist was with a couple of members of the board at the time this was announced, and they were happy for it to go on the record that the company had NOT called in the administrators. Indeed, the BBC contacted PriceWaterhouseCoopers (the so called administrators), who were also happy to say that they hadn't been called in as administrators, only to advise the company.
For the government to pre-empt the board and announce that a private company has gone into administration, before it has actually done so, is pretty much unheard of. Of course, with the announcement by the government, confidence in rover is now likely to plunge to such depths that the only viable option now is indeed administration. One has to wonder if there was some hidden agenda at work here, but I cannot even begin to guess what they are were trying to achieve.
Great way to start the campaign, and not a labour party leader in sight!
Well Rover did owe 25million in back tax so hence the government had a right as a creditor to ask for something to be done.
To be honest who would buy a UK car nowadays due to reliability being bad. (not talking bad here but by experience with a UK ford and many JP cars).
the rover suppliers should have asked for cash when delivering parts
Colin