The Nissan factory in Sunderland. The government has denied giving “compensation” to the carmaker but admits it has given “reassurances” to the company

Ministers have been accused of giving in to demands from Nissan to keep car manufacturing jobs in the UK after the Brexit vote.

The Times has obtained a four-page letter from Paul Willcox, chairman of Nissan Europe, to Greg Clark, the business secretary, outlining the company’s demands to ensure vehicles are still built at the Nissan plant in Sunderland.

Announcements by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) over the past six months show that ministers made spending commitments which helped Nissan and reflected demands in the letter.

Why Britain needs Nissan so much

The government has always denied giving “compensation” to Nissan but admits it has given “reassurances” to the company and wider industry.

In one instance, the letter in October from Mr Willcox highlights a project to