PM 'basks in glow' of Nissan investment

The Prime Minister paid a visit to the Washington plant

It is no wonder the Prime Minister wanted to be front and centre at Nissan today.

When Boris Johnson was the man who led the Leave side in the Brexit referendum he had to constantly answer concerns it could be the death knell for Nissan in Sunderland, with devastating economic consequences for the North East.

Now though, the Japanese company's commitment to the plant seems rock solid, and the PM is basking in the glow of its decision to invest £1bn in Wearside.

It did, though, need that Brexit deal which - whatever its pros and cons - does allow Nissan to import its cars to the continent tariff-free, and that was crucial to further expansion.

It appears that a government grant has also been essential and, while the prime minister would not be drawn on how much the taxpayer has put in, there is talk it could be as much as £100m.

'Ups and downs'

There will be questions about that level of taxpayer investment in a private enterprise, but for Sunderland and its economy, it will pay dividends.

And it is also testament to the local workforce; Sunderland has long been Nissan's most productive plant, and you sense that despite the Brexit ups and downs of the past five years, the Japanese giant was never going to cast that aside lightly.

It does mean Sunderland's economy becomes even more dependent on one factory.

All eggs are firmly in the Nissan basket, but as many communities would kill for the kind of investment announced today, that will be of little concern for now.

This is also a boost for the Conservatives' "Levelling Up" agenda, and you can expect them to milk it for all it's worth, especially as they have an eye on winning seats in Sunderland.

But the Labour council will also point out its part in creating a local infrastructure custom-built to capitalise on its big employer, and encourage its expansion.

Its focus now, though, might also have to include a push to ensure there are enough local people with the skills to fill the new jobs.