Honda

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:19 pm on 20 February 2019.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 3:19, 20 February 2019

Neil Hamilton points to the fact that Turkey is also closing its plants. That is what happens when you have free trade deals; there are consequences both ways. We've undertaken a trade deal with Japan that makes it cheaper for Japan to produce its cars in Japan, and that's the way free trade works. Outside of the protection of the EU, we're going to be more vulnerable to changes in international conditions.

Neil Hamilton dismisses the expertise of the former ambassador to Japan, who himself has made the link to Brexit, and I think it's naive—. I'm not saying that this is the only factor, but he's naive to think that companies that rely on trading goods—. And bear in mind that just 10 per cent of the 160,000 cars produced by Honda are sold in the UK, these are—. These are—I see Michelle Brown is busily taking photos; the—[Interruption.] It's just a shame she didn't have more important things to do—[Interruption.] These cars are being sold for export to the EU and the potential costs of exporting rising is clearly going to be a factor in the decisions that they make.