Scottish political and company leaders are urging Nissan to shift its Sunderland factory (where it makes the Qashqai and Juke) a few dozen miles up the road – from North east England to southern Scotland.
The bold and provocative invitation to the Japanese firm comes at a time when Brits are looking increasingly likely to vote in favour of the united kingdom leaving the European Union in 2017.
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The prospect of this possible exit from the EU has riled Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn who has said that Nissan would then “reconsider our technique and investments for the future”. If, as the opinion polls suggest, the UK was to leave the EU, and Scotland gains independence by breaking away from England, Wales and northern Ireland, the Scots are likely to apply for and get EU membership. thus the claim that they will be ideally positioned to have Nissan production lines on their soil.
The Scottish Government’s deputy first Minster, Nicola Sturgeon hopes that England’s loss could be Scotland’s gain:
“The ‘will Nissan relocation to Scotland question’ raises a real point,” she enthused.
“Honestly, I don’t know if Nissan would come under those situations [of England being outside and Scotland inside the EU]. but I do know that Scotland is the best performing part of the UK outside London for inward investment,” claimed Sturgeon who’s also the deputy leader of the ruling SNP.
