DYSON’S decision to move its corporate headquarters from Wiltshire to Singapore has been branded a slap in the face.

Speaking on BBC Points West, South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “Future-proofing the company by relocating its headquarters thousands of miles away across the globe is not really the message that I would have expected them to be sending Britain at this of all times.

“I think people are to be excused if they interpret it as some sort of snub or worse a slap in the face.”

He called for Dyson executives to reiterate their commitment to Britain as a centre for research and development.

The firm, founded by prominent Brexiteer Sir James Dyson, announced on Tuesday that it would be moving its base from Malmesbury to the Far East. But its chief executive, Jim Rowan, said the move had nothing to do with Britain leaving the EU. Its research site would remain in Wiltshire and the company would continue to pay tax in the UK.

However, south west MEP Molly Scott-Cato criticised the move: “Many would have expected a man who has previously talked up No Deal to stick the course.

“When the chancellor mentioned Singapore as a suitable model for the post-Brexit economy I don't think he intended our leading businesses to relocate there. Perhaps, after all, Brexit is not quite as good for business as Mr Dyson had us believe.”