19 things you said about Nissan's warning over post-Brexit future of its Sunderland car plant

The public have been having their say on carmaker Nissan statement today that a hard Brexit would have 'serious implications' for its Sunderland plant.
Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.
Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.

The Japanese car giant employs 8,000 people in the UK, mostly in Sunderland, and most of the cars it makes here are exported to Europe tariff-free.

Today it said is is one of a number of companies who have made major investments in the UK waiting for clarity on what future trading relationships will be like.

Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.
Nissan in Sunderland employs more than 7,000 people, with 30,000 more in the supply chain.
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Here's what readers have had to say about the statement on the Echo's Facebook page.

Martyn Wright: "I'm sorry but our lives are NOT ruled by the car industry, nor is Brexit. You would think the world was owned by the car industry the way they're going on. We buy the cars - if they want to sell us them they'll find a way or we will - we just won't buy Japanese cars - that'll fettle them."

Stephen Smith: "What about all the jobs that will be lost in our area? It's not about been owned or ruled by the car industry it's about massive job losses on our own doorstep."

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Nissan warning on Brexit should set alarm bells ringing, says Sunderland MP
Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson with the Leave campaign bus which promised an extra 350million  year for the NHS.Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson with the Leave campaign bus which promised an extra 350million  year for the NHS.
Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson with the Leave campaign bus which promised an extra 350million year for the NHS.

Stuart Oliver: "They currently sell most of the cars to the EU, so it wouldn't hurt them as much as losing the EU sales if we stopped buying them. And yes, we aren't ruled by the car industry, but it helps keep many thousands of people employed. I assume your choice is to be unemployed and have the illusion of freedom."

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Kevin Gibson: "We won't need cars. We'll have nowhere to go anyway. Just sitting in the job centre wondering why British Leyland haven't taken anyone on for 30 years."

Richard Boardman: "If Nissan leaves the North East it would be a disaster. It's not just the Nissan plant - it's all the smaller companies that build and provide. Be realistic, Sunderland needs Nissan!"

Lloyd Ismington: "Without Nissan then there will be a big drop in cash in Sunderland, people not making mortgage payments, not supporting bars/shops. The knock-on effect would be disastrous."

Tracy White: "Whateverrrrrrrrr. Brexit is going ahead, just scare mongering."

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Gary Crabbe: "It is not just the car industry saying it. They are just the companies that the media focus on because they are seen as tier one manufacturers. It has also been said by Airbus, Panasonic, and a range of other companies in other industries."

John Morrison: "Spending millions upgrading a plant doesn't mean it will stay open. Absolutely loads of business have done the same thing then moved abroad or shut all together. That's no guarantee at all, believe me."

Denis Wilson: "Scaremongering it may be, but can anyone afford to take the risk of ignoring it? If it takes the government to step in with a sweetener to Nissan so almost 30,000 workers keep their jobs then let them pay..."

Alison Burnell: "Nissan have relied on the free movement throughout the EU when exporting, and this will stop. There are many worries ahead, whatever the outcome, which is unsettling for thousands of employees."

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Shirley Herbertson: "Sunderland was the highest Leave vote in the country. I’m afraid they have voted themselves out of jobs!"

Amy Drummond: "I’m sure the money invested in Nissan since Brexit will already have been earmarked in budgets long before the vote. A cut in production or, worst case, closure of Nissan would be catastrophic for Sunderland."

Tony Parker: "How were Nissan supposed to plan for this? It's completely out of their hands. They warned their workforce before the vote and I bet many still voted out anyway."

Margo Lax: "We had ship building and mines ... all gone. Nissan became a big part of our economy. Sunderland will die if they pull out."

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Alexandra Kellett: "If Nissan goes then the whole of the North East will be hit hard - all the companies that people in those jobs spend their money in - shops, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, nurseries, new houses, new cars."

Colin Hutchinson: "No one ever thought the shipyards or the coal mines would go. They did. Nothing is permanent."

Anthony M. Dunn: "The North East is a net beneficiary of the ERDF in terms of infrastructure investment. Nissan's very presence in the region is heavily subsidised by the EU. So let's throw all of that away because we were lied to by a bus..."

Phil Marsden: "The turkeys really did vote for Christmas."