Gordon Brown pledges assistance for Cadbury workers
Gordon Brown has today pledged his support for the Cadbury workforce after the company was acquired by Kraft Foods in an £11.9 billion recommended offer. However, the government's swift response to the acquisition has backfired somewhat with the revelation that Royal Bank of Scotland, 84% owned by the UK taxpayer and effectively under the control of the government, is one of a number of UK financial institutions that have lent money to Kraft Foods.
This now puts the UK government in a highly embarrassing situation of fighting for UK jobs at various Cadbury plants up and down the country while effectively bankrolling the company which acquired the UK giant. There are still concerns that Cadbury was possibly "sold on the cheap" although the company, with a history dating back to 1824, appeared happy to accept the revised £8.50 a share offer from the US giant.
Quite what the UK government can do to "assist UK Cadbury workers" remains to be seen but in many ways the government is missing the point as Cadbury has itself expanded by acquiring overseas operations over the years. Whether we are yet again seen more headline grabbing comments as we approach the election remains to be seen but it is unclear at this point in time what the UK government can do to safeguard UK jobs.
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