The UK government declined to reveal details of the negotiations held last year with Bentley, concerning a new investment decision ahead of Brexit, saying that any disclosure could harm the country’s ability to get a good deal with the EU.
Bentley, which produced in total over 11,000 vehicles at its Crewe plant in England, wants to make a decision about the production of its future models in early 2018.
Last December, the company met with junior Brexit minister David Jones, with Reuters filing a freedom of information request in order to learn more about this meeting, only to receive a negative answer, with the excuse being that it was not in the public interest to release any of the information requested.
“Part of the negotiation and exit process requires the UK to be able to effectively pursue and protect our interests abroad. Prematurely publicizing information will prejudice our ability to successfully conduct that business,” the response said.
“The potential lack of this key exchange of ideas, or the release of the information, may in turn weaken the government’s position in these negotiations and make it harder for the UK to secure the best possible deal with the EU.”
Bentley’s CEO has said last March that he would be seeking guarantees from the government in the months ahead.
“You can get commitments and I count on commitments also from the UK government and, as I understood, they already gave commitments to other brands at certain times so when we come closer, we will see what we have in our hands,” he then said.
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