Nissan delivers the goods for our city

Brexit may have caused much division over the years, but we can all unite over the good news coming out of Nissan.

Despite repeated warnings from the owners of the Washington plant that crashing out of the EU would not bode well, all today is sweetness and light.

While we may not yet know the full details of the deal secured by the Government, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth.

Instead we should wallow in the warm words of Ashwani Gupta, the car giant’s chief operating officer, who is not just satisfied with the deal, he’s positively ecstatic. Yesterday, Mr Gupta said the UK’s Brexit deal has given the Nissan plant a competitive advantage and secured the future of thousands of jobs across Europe.

Wearside could let out a huge sigh of relief. But the positivity didn’t end there. Mr Gupta went on to pledge that the firm would ‘take this opportunity to redefine the auto industry in the United Kingdom’.

He added: “Brexit has brought Nissan a competitive advantage from being in the United Kingdom as one of the largest automakers, not only for the UK but also outside the UK, and that is why I say Brexit is positive for Nissan."

Electric cars are the key to future success, and the reaction of the Nissan boss was swiftly followed by news of a huge rise in global electric car sales last year with expectations of even greater growth as battery prices drop.

For good or bad, Sunderland has found itself at the heart of the Brexit debate for a long time.

This fantastic news is firmly for the good. Long may it continue...