A government minister has praised the Birmingham Post’s campaign demanding government support for Jaguar Land Rover – and revealed his wife has signed our petition.

Tom Watson (Lab, West Bromwich West), a cabinet office minister, highlighted the Post’s role in setting up a petition on the Downing Street website, which has been signed by more than 7,000 people.

The Post has joined forces with sister papers in Birmingham, Coventry and Merseyside to urge the government to provide loans, or guarantees at commercial rates, during the credit crisis.

The money would replace credit issued by banks in normal circumstances.

Coventry South MP Jim Cunningham (Lab) backed the campaign in the Commons, saying: “Can I ask how effective the petition website is at 10 Downing Street – regarding, in particular, people with concerns about Jaguar Land Rover?

“In Coventry, the local newspaper, The Evening Telegraph, has also organised a petition of 6,000 people. Will these people be listened to, to support Jaguar Land Rover?”

Mr Watson told him: “We welcome online engagement, and it’s heartening to see that the Downing Street petition site is being used in such a way.

“I should also praise the Birmingham Post for leading the petition campaign. Last time I checked, the Jaguar Land Rover petition it nearly had 7,000 people who’d used it,” said Mr Watson. “I noticed that my wife was one of them.”

Mr Watson said he would highlight the petition when he met chancellor Alistair Darling, and ministers in the Department for Business and Enterprise.

> Sign the petition here