The pressure mounts from Britain’s biggest car manufacturer
NEW: Nissan Europe chairman Gianluca de Ficchy has said a no-deal Brexit would put its entire business model in Europe “in jeopardy” and that it “won’t be sustainable”.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) October 10, 2019
De Ficchy said the firm was well prepared operationally for “a crisis situation” but that “the first thing we need to have is clarity,” adding: “My message is that today as a business we do not have a clear understanding on the future evolution of the Brexit discussion.”
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) October 10, 2019
Expect more of this in run-up to October 31st
This is hardly surprising given the complexity of the motor manufacturing industry and how difficult things could potentially get if there is a No Deal Brexit.
It is not just the jobs at the assembly plant in Sunderland that are at stake but thousands of others in component supply in firms which have flourished because of the presence of the big Japanese manufacturers in the UK.
Toyota with it’s big Derby plant, has also issued warnings and and there was a Tweet some weeks ago stating that a no deal Brexit could lead to an immediate shutdown of production there.
Honda has also announced it’s intentions to leave but stated that this was not directly brexit-related but a rationalization of its production facilities in Europe.
We can expect a lot more warnings like this in the next few days until such time as there is resolution to the No Deal brexit issue.
All this, of course, will add to the pressure on ministers and provide more ammunition for those wanting a second referendum.