Birmingham's Labour MPs have said they are "very concerned" about the prospect of Cadbury accepting Kraft's takeover bid.
Lynne Jones (Selly Oak), Richard Burden (Longbridge), Steve McCabe (Hall Green) and Gisela Stuart (Edgbaston) released a statement which read: "To us, all the arguments about the importance of keeping Cadbury's independent as a successful and profitable British company remain as valid today as they were last month,"
"We think a takeover by Kraft could pose real dangers for jobs, innovation and the skill base in the West Midlands.
"We worry about the kind of future that Cadbury's would have as part of this giant multinational whose corporate priorities are decided a long way away from the West Midlands and from those other areas of which Cadbury's has long been a part."
The four MPs urged the Government and Parliament to address the issue of UK companies' "vulnerability" to hostile international takeovers.
And they appealed to Cadbury's shareholders to "think carefully" before accepting the offer.
"If the Cadbury's board do indeed recommend acceptance of the Kraft offer, a big responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Cadbury's shareholders when they come to make a decision," they went on.
"The future of a company so important to the industrial base of this region and the UK should be about more than short-term profit - whether for hedge funds or for anyone else."
Workers outside the Bournville plant in Birmingham had little to say about the deal. But one man admitted: "There are a lot of worried people inside that building."
The employee, who asked not to be named, added: "Nobody really knows what is going on or what this might mean in terms of job losses, but inside that factory there are a lot of people who are very, very worried about the future - the future of the company and their own future, their jobs and their families.
"It is not a good atmosphere here today."
Kraft has been pursuing Cadbury since last September, but until now has received short shrift from the group.
Chairman Roger Carr previously led a robust defence of the firm's 185-year independence and blasted Kraft's "low growth, conglomerate business" as an "unattractive prospect".
It has reportedly been keen to see a white knight alternative proposal from US group Hershey, with which it already has an existing relationship, as Hershey makes Dairy Milk bars and Creme Eggs under licence in the US.
Hershey has already said it is reviewing its options for Cadbury, but was today given a deadline of Monday by the City takeover watchdog for it to make an approach or walk away.
It is said to have decided that it can mount a bid without losing its investment-grade credit rating. However, there are doubts that Hershey has the firepower to out-do Kraft, which is around five times its size.
