Member Article

Ebac founder blasts PM’s pro-EU message at Hitachi Rail visit

Ahead of the EU Referendum on June 23, Prime Minister David Cameron ventured to the North East today (Thursday 9 June), visiting the Hitachi Rail factory in Newton Aycliffe, Durham.

The new manufacturing and assembly plant is being developed to support the DfT-led Intercity Express Programme and future Hitachi Rail projects.

The decision to manufacture and assemble rolling stock at these premises, which has had £82m invested in it as well as creating over 700 jobs, is a fundamental building block in Hitachi Rail Europe’s strategy for growth.

In his visit, the PM paid tribute to the role the plant plays in North East job creation and warned that should Britain leave the EU, such opportunities like that of the Japanese rail business would plummet.

However, Mr Cameron’s visit sparked outcry from some sections of the region’s business community. John Elliott, founder of local employer Ebac, said the view that investment into the North East would be jeopardised by a vote to leave is ludicrous.

Mr Elliott, chairman of Ebac and Vote Leave supporter, said: “Hitachi came to the North East in order to supply the UK market with trains. That is not going to change if we leave the EU.”

“We’ve heard this all before. Large multinationals such as Nissan said they would leave if we didn’t join the Euro, but they didn’t.

“Hitachi themselves have said all we need is a free trade deal with the EU, which we will have when we Vote Leave on 23 June.”

Earlier this year Mr Elliot branded the EU as ‘a failed concept’ when speaking at the Business for Britain North East launch in January.

He said: “If we vote to leave we can take back control over trade policy, allowing us to do more deals with growing economies like China and India.

“As an exporter I know that will help businesses in the North East to grow, much more than being tied to the EU which is going nowhere fast.”