UK will publish Brexit assurances to Nissan when they are no longer commercially private

LONDON -- The British government intends to publish a letter it sent to Nissan assuring it that investments would be safe after Brexit, but only when some of the information in it is no longer confidential, Business minister Greg Clark said.

He gave no timescale for releasing the letter, which has been the subject of intense speculation, and gave no details as to the nature of the private information.

Nissan decided in October it would build new car models in Britain after receiving a letter from the government saying investment conditions would remain competitive after the country leaves the European Union.

The news sparked concerns that the government may have offered Nissan a sweetheart deal and that other companies would demand similar arrangements.

The government has so far refused to publish the letter but Clark told lawmakers on Wednesday he would make it public once some of its content was no longer confidential.

"There are aspects that are commercially confidential but they are not permanently so. So my intention would be to release the letter as soon as the particular commercial confidentialities for the firm are no longer there," he said.

The head of Britain's National Audit Office said on Tuesday he had examined the letter and that he was satisfied the government had no contingent liability due to the assurances.