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Edwin Hayward
@uk_domain_names
, 9 tweets, 3 min read Read on Twitter
Let's join the dots on the unfolding Nissan Brexit disaster:
1) September 2016: Nissan CEO warns some car production could move out of UK unless compensation is provided against tariffs
2) Government provides Nissan with confidential letter of reassurance.
news.sky.com/story/nissan-c…
3) October 2016: Nissan declares publicly it will build X-Trail in Sunderland
4) October 2018: Nissan issues very strong warning about no deal Brexit effect on UK car production
5) December 2018: Government refuses to disclose content of letter to Nissan (deemed too sensitive)
6) January 2019: Prime Minister Abe of Japan gives harsh no deal warning
7) Late January 2019: Brexit deal killed (230 vote defeat + Brady amendment)
8) 1 February 2019: EU & Japan trade deal creates largest ever free trade zone. 0% tariff on cars imported from Japan from 2027.
9) 2 February 2019: news breaks that Nissan will cancel plans to produce the X-Trail in Sunderland

None of this is secret (except letter content). All played out in the mainstream media for anyone paying attention to see.

So if MPs are surprised, they were asleep at the wheel.
This was not just predictable, but predicted. David Rennie talked explicitly about the danger of Brexit to Nissan's UK operation on 24 June 2016, ie the day after the referendum, in a panel discussion with David Miliband and other guests on Charlie Rose.
charlierose.com/videos/28290
So there you have it. Our politicians were oblivious, wilfully ignorant, or culpably naive. No excuses. This is on them.

Here's some deep background reading (it's long!) if you want to learn more about Nissan's presence in the UK, and what's at stake...
theguardian.com/news/2018/oct/…
And before anyone uses the "diesel" argument, the X-Trail is produced in 3 petrol and just 2 diesel versions.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_X-…
Update: Nissan have now officially confirmed the news, stating that production will be ramped up in Japan instead.
theguardian.com/business/2019/…
When you think about it, the UK's situation from Nissan's POV could have been doubly bad after Brexit. Under no deal WTO, UK-built cars will be subject to a 10% tariff when exported to the EU. So...
Japan->EU: 10%->0% tariff
UK->EU: 0%->10% tariff
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More from @uk_domain_names see all

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Edwin Hayward
@uk_domain_names
A no deal Brexit hurts:
- Our economy
- Government funding
- Jobs
- Our two main political parties (maybe positive?)
- Life chances for the young
- Workers' rights
- Just-in-time production
- Our credibility and standing in the world
- Our security
So why are we still chasing it?
A no deal Brexit rewards:
- Hedge funds
- Vulture capitalists
- Big multinationals
- Tax avoiders
- Lobbyists & cronies
- France, Ireland, Germany, etc. receiving assets leaving the UK
- Very wealthy (buying opportunities)
- Putin
- The far right
So why are we still chasing it?
No deal is such an eye-wateringly bad idea, you have to look very, very closely at the motivations of those advocating it. What side gigs do they have? What shareholdings? What dodgy friends in high places? What sources of wealth? What political ambitions? What EU track history?
Read 7 tweets
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Edwin Hayward
@uk_domain_names
The Malthouse Compromise Brexit plan is like someone trying to build a full-size house out of rancid mashed potato and congealed gravy. The ingredients are compromised, wholly unsuited to the task, and have no chance of forming a coherent whole when united.
Those doing the building have never seen a house before, don't understand even the basics of structural physics, are blind drunk, and have their hands tied behind their backs. But apart from that...
Ian Dunt @IanDunt pulls apart the stinking Malthouse Compromise mess better than I ever could.🎩 Well worth 5 minutes of your time...
politics.co.uk/blogs/2019/01/…
Read 3 tweets
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Edwin Hayward
@uk_domain_names
Suella Braverman MP blocked me for calling her out on Project Fear accusations. This is my tweet that led to her block.
Perhaps you could share the facts that distressed her so much with her?
And this is her account @SuellaBraverman
Read 3 tweets

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Lesley Miller
@LesleyMillercyp
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Nicolai von Ondarza
@NvOndarza
UK position paper on transition has leaked here: assets.bwbx.io/documents/user…

First major discussion point is of course that UK wants #Brexit transition to last until new relationship is in place.

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