The Unite union, which represents many workers at Cadbury will today hold a protest on Bournville Green in Birmingham from 11.30am until 12.30pm.

Unite national officer, Jennie Formby, said: “Our members and their friends across the Midlands deserve a voice in this takeover. They are angry that to date they have been forced to look on from the sidelines as the big money players carve up their company. Our protest is intended to send a clear message to Cadbury shareholders – don’t sell Cadbury out.”

At last night’s BBC Radio WM debate on the future of Cadbury, Joe Clarke, regional officer for the Unite union, advocated a protectionist stance to prevent future takeovers of British manufacturing: “there’s nothing wrong with protectionism when it come to protecting British workers and jobs.”