Japanese car group Nissan has said it is “monitoring” the situation, following last month’s vote to leave the European Union. The company, which employs 6,800 people at its Sunderland plant, said: “We continue to monitor the situation in the UK and the EU. Like other multi-national companies, we are able to seize opportunities, mitigate risks and continually adapt to changing situations.”

Most of the cars built at the Sunderland plant are exported to the Continent. Before the 23 June referendum, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn released a statement saying that the company would prefer the UK to remain in the EU.

Automotive industry analysts do not expect anything to change at Sunderland in the near future, with the factory being one of the most productive in the world and only receiving its latest multi-million-pound investment in January.