Ryder Report (British Leyland)
The Ryder Report, officially titled "British Leyland: The Next Decade," was a 1975 government report commissioned by the Labour government of Harold Wilson to assess the state of British Leyland (BL), then a major British car manufacturer teetering on the brink of collapse. Chaired by Sir Don Ryder, the report concluded that British Leyland required significant government investment and a radical restructuring to survive.
The report proposed the nationalization of British Leyland through the creation of British Leyland Limited, a holding company wholly owned by the government. It advocated for a massive injection of public funds, initially £1.4 billion, to modernize the company's aging plants, improve production efficiency, and develop new models. The Ryder Report also recommended a more centralized management structure, replacing the existing multi-divisional setup with a single, unified entity.
While the report aimed to revitalize the British motor industry and preserve jobs, its implementation proved controversial. The large-scale public funding was met with resistance from some sectors, and the hoped-for improvements in productivity and profitability largely failed to materialize. British Leyland continued to struggle throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, ultimately leading to further restructuring, privatization, and the eventual breakup of the company. The Ryder Report remains a significant and debated moment in the history of the British automotive industry and government intervention in business.