Unite has demanded to be involved in all stages of Ford’s rumored sale of Jaguar and Land Rover, including any final decisions on who will buy the two British brands.

The demand has been made by Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Britain’s biggest trade union Unite.

In a letter to Lewis Booth, head of Ford of Europe, Woodley said: “The last thing that you should consider is an auction in which the highest bidder wins, irrespective of the consequences.”

Ford sold its luxury sports brand Aston Martin earlier this year, prompting calls that it would look to offload its Jaguar and Land Rover brands. However, Ford has denied that it has set any deadlines for offers and is just working with financial advisors to review the best options for the two British marques.

“As part of that process we are evaluating our strategic review but we have not committed to anything. One of these options is a third party interest and we have been in contact with them - at this stage we are not ruling anything in or anything out,” said a Ford spokesperson.

In a five-point plan to Ford, Woodley called for Ford to work with Unite to agree the future of Jaguar Land Rover production.

He also wants Ford to agree to keep the design and development of the models at their respective production and development sites.

If a sale does go through Woodley wants Ford to agree to a 10 year service contract with Ford Blue Oval and other current suppliers.

“My union will have no hesitation in calling on the UK government to directly intervene if it is necessary to ensure the long term future of manufacturing plants,” Woodley added.