The technology company is responsible for designing and manufacturing ‘high-end’ household appliances, including vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, fans and hair dryers. While production has already been moved exclusively to Asia, Dyson has remained one of the UK’s largest investors in R&D in robotics and other emerging technologies and is often hailed as a “British success story”.

Over the last two years, Sir James Dyson has emerged as one of the most prominent industry proponents of Brexit, arguing that leaving the trading bloc would “liberate” the British economy and allow the UK to strike new trade deals with non-EU countries.

In October 2018, Dyson stated that its planned electric car – due for launch in 2021 – would be manufactured in Singapore, which is closer to the key Asian markets for the vehicle. However, the wider UK car industry has repeatedly issued warnings to the UK government about the potentially disastrous impact of a hard Brexit on the industry, with Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Rolls Royce among automakers to publicly express their concerns.

Now, Dyson has made the surprise announcement that it will move its headquarters from Malmesbury, Wiltshire, to Singapore this year. The move will make Singapore the company’s main tax base. Corporate tax rates in Singapore are set at 17 per cent, 2 per cent lower than in the UK.

“An increasing majority of Dyson’s customers and all of our manufacturing operations are now in Asia. This shift has been occurring for some time and will quicken as Dyson brings its electric vehicle to market,” a company statement said. “We are now at the point where Dyson’s corporate head office will relocate there to reflect the increasing importance of Asia to Dyson’s business.”

The move is likely to attract controversy given Sir James Dyson’s support of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. In a statement, Dyson CEO Jim Rowan (pictured above) denied that neither Brexit nor taxation were motivations for the company headquarters’ British exit.

“The move is nothing to do with Brexit or tax; it’s about making sure we are future-proofed. There are huge revenue opportunities in Singapore: China is the poster child of that,” he said. “The tax difference is negligible for us. We are taxed all over the world and we will continue to pay tax in the UK. We will continue to invest in the UK, in Malmesbury, in Bristol and London.”

Rowan confirmed that Sir James Dyson had been integral to the decision to move the company headquarters to Singapore.

The move will begin with Rowan and two senior executives (including Dyson’s CFO) moving to Singapore, with the new headquarters being filled over the coming years.

Dyson will retain a presence in the UK: in February 2017, the company announced an expansion in Hullavington, Wiltshire, which will become home to a research hub and the Dyson Institute of Technology.

The technology company is responsible for designing and manufacturing ‘high-end’ household appliances, including vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, fans and hair dryers. While production has already been moved exclusively to Asia, Dyson has remained one of the UK’s largest investors in R&D in robotics and other emerging technologies and is often hailed as a “British success story”.

Over the last two years, Sir James Dyson has emerged as one of the most prominent industry proponents of Brexit, arguing that leaving the trading bloc would “liberate” the British economy and allow the UK to strike new trade deals with non-EU countries.

In October 2018, Dyson stated that its planned electric car – due for launch in 2021 – would be manufactured in Singapore, which is closer to the key Asian markets for the vehicle. However, the wider UK car industry has repeatedly issued warnings to the UK government about the potentially disastrous impact of a hard Brexit on the industry, with Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Rolls Royce among automakers to publicly express their concerns.

Now, Dyson has made the surprise announcement that it will move its headquarters from Malmesbury, Wiltshire, to Singapore this year. The move will make Singapore the company’s main tax base. Corporate tax rates in Singapore are set at 17 per cent, 2 per cent lower than in the UK.

“An increasing majority of Dyson’s customers and all of our manufacturing operations are now in Asia. This shift has been occurring for some time and will quicken as Dyson brings its electric vehicle to market,” a company statement said. “We are now at the point where Dyson’s corporate head office will relocate there to reflect the increasing importance of Asia to Dyson’s business.”

The move is likely to attract controversy given Sir James Dyson’s support of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. In a statement, Dyson CEO Jim Rowan (pictured above) denied that neither Brexit nor taxation were motivations for the company headquarters’ British exit.

“The move is nothing to do with Brexit or tax; it’s about making sure we are future-proofed. There are huge revenue opportunities in Singapore: China is the poster child of that,” he said. “The tax difference is negligible for us. We are taxed all over the world and we will continue to pay tax in the UK. We will continue to invest in the UK, in Malmesbury, in Bristol and London.”

Rowan confirmed that Sir James Dyson had been integral to the decision to move the company headquarters to Singapore.

The move will begin with Rowan and two senior executives (including Dyson’s CFO) moving to Singapore, with the new headquarters being filled over the coming years.

Dyson will retain a presence in the UK: in February 2017, the company announced an expansion in Hullavington, Wiltshire, which will become home to a research hub and the Dyson Institute of Technology.