SNP demands publication of Nissan letter

UK Business Secretary Greg Clark

Business Secretary Greg Clark was forced to make an urgent statement in the House of Commons after he revealed he had told the Japanese company that the UK wanted tariff-free access to EU markets.

Politicians in Scotland and Westminster are angry the details were kept from them while ministers were briefing international firms.

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead said the Conservative Government’s actions were “simply unacceptable” and urged it to come clean.

He said: “It’s completely unsustainable for the UK Government to remain silent on this.

“It is absolutely essential we have full disclosure and that they publish this correspondence as a matter of urgency.”

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said his firm’s decision to invest in the UK had been made after it received “support and assurances” from the Tory Government.

Ministers have denied that the company was offered a “sweetheart deal”. However, opposition parties have demanded to know what assurances were made by Mr Clark.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, Mr Clark said: “What I said was that our objective would be to ensure that we would have continued access to the markets in Europe - and vice versa - without tariffs and without bureaucratic impediments and that is how we will approach those negotiations.”

He added that he had also made commitments on issues, including continued funds for skills and training.