The UK government on Sunday announced that it will support “iconic British brand” Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) with a loan guarantee of up to 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) to give certainty to the Tata Motors owned carmaker's supply chain following a devastating cyber-attack.

The loan will come from a commercial bank, backed by the Department for Business and Trade's (DBT) Export Development Guarantee (EDG), provided by export credit agency UK Export Finance, to be paid back over five years. The aim is to bolster JLR's cash reserves following the production shutdown since early this month in the wake of the hack to help support firms in the supply chain, many of them small and medium enterprises (SMEs) struggling to stay afloat.

 “This cyber-attack was not only an assault on an iconic British brand, but on our world-leading automotive sector and the men and women whose livelihoods depend on it,” said Peter Kyle, Business and Trade Secretary.

 “Following our decisive action, this loan guarantee will help support the supply chain and protect skilled jobs in the West Midlands, Merseyside and throughout the UK,” he said.