Gordon Brown is this weekend targeting Ford president Sir Nick Scheele in his attempt to force the US carmaker to reconsider major cutbacks at its Brown's Lane factory in Coventry.

At a private meeting between Brown and leaders of the Transport & General Workers Union, Amicus and the GMB in Brighton during last week's Labour Party conference, the Chancellor said he would contact Scheele, who is British, on his visit to the US for the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund this weekend.

Ford announced last month 400 redundancies at the Brown's Lane factory, which makes two Jaguar models, along with the transfer of another 425 jobs to the nearby Castle Bromwich factory and further cuts to salaried staff.

The T&G leader, Tony Woodley, has called for solidarity between Jaguar, Ford and Land Rover workers in the struggle to save the Brown's Lane jobs.

He said: 'My personal belief is that it is about Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover in this country combining together to fight back against these actions.'

Brown is well acquainted with Scheele, who doubles as Ford's Chief Operating Officer. He made his name running Jaguar - which Ford bought in 1989 - between 1992 and 1999, before he was promoted to head the company's European operations in 1999.

Brown, like Tony Blair, is particularly concerned that Ford made its decision to cut back at Brown's Lane without consulting the unions, and that it has broken an agreement to maintain production facilities in the West Midlands.

Unions are concerned that the cuts will be followed by the amalgamation of the company's Whitley research and development operations with Land Rover's at Gaydon as a preparatory move to a full merger of the two businesses, with many more job losses.

They are preparing a case against the cutbacks. As a starting point, they are arguing for an independent analyst to gain access to Jaguar's books and for executives to examine whether the fall-off in sales - critical US figures slumped 38 per cent in August, compared with 2003 - justifies the cutbacks.

Dave Osbourne, the T&G's national officer for the motor industry, said: 'We have proposed an independent analyst to examine aspects of the business that are causing them concerns.'

He is writing to the company, demanding further information on a series of questions, including the importance of the exchange rate on its decision.

The T&G, along with Amicus, is continuing with preparations for a strike ballot at Brown's Lane, with the possibility of further votes at other plants.

One union source said: 'Mr Brown said he was going to the States and that he would be speaking to Nick Scheele this weekend.'

A Treasury spokesman said: 'Gordon Brown has contacted Ford, as he said he would.'