Petbows Limited would seem to have been naughty boys. I find in Hansard that the renege on the deal to buy, and insure employment on the Wirral, was altered quickly leading to the closure of Vernons only weeks after purchase. Vernons having previously gained aerospace contracts from the Government to boost employment in the area. This landed Lord Thornycroft an accusation of misleading the house, from no lesser person than Mr Wilson. The day, and age, where Labour stood for the working man and would have hotly debated such a dodgy deal diverting jobs away from one area to another against an interventionist social policy. They got away with it, and the impression is that Vernons were asset stripped.
There is mention of Petbows making a scooter. I wonder if that was unwanted plunder from another strategic purchase. Given there area of expertise, I guess Mercury. Not time to look it up at the moment.
