Nissan’s Damascene Conversion to Brexit

Co-conspirators will no doubt remember the warnings delivered by the Remain campaign in 2016, that Brexit would threaten the Nissan Sunderland plant. As far back as 2013, before he became a fugitive from justice, Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn was warning the UK over a possible EU exit. After the referendum in August 2016, Nissan warned their future in the UK hinged on Brexit talks. Unequivocal…

It wasn’t just Nissan: Remainer commentators continued using Nissan as a poster boy for the threat of Brexit throughout the negotiations. In February 2019 The Independent’s Sean O’Grady opined “Nissan’s U-turn is the beginning of the end for Britain’s revived car industry”, citing another Independent article suggesting the Japanese firm “may cancel intention to build vehicle in UK less than two months before Britain leaves EU”. Alastair Campbell was equally strong-headed:

[https://twitter.com/campbellclaret/status/1199772561376251904]

Who better to perform a screeching u-turn on Brexit than a car manufacturer…

Nissan’s chief executive, Ashwani Gupta, is now out on the airwaves describing Brexit as an “opportunity” as he confirms a massive new investment into their Sunderland plant:

“I have gone through this journey and I would say that key success factor for the Brexit has always been a trade friendly business conditions to sustain our business, not only in UK, but in the whole of Europe. And thanks to the Brexit, I think Nissan is going moving forward to use Brexit as an opportunity.”

In his words, today’s announcement is a “renaissance of the British car industry”. Surely congratulations from the likes of Campbell will be forthcoming…

* This article was originally published by Guido Fawkes

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