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EU referendum: Jeremy Heywood faces civil servant guidance grilling EU referendum: Hammond defends rules on access to papers
(about 3 hours later)
The UK's top civil servant is to be questioned over why cabinet ministers opposing EU membership are being denied access to government papers on Europe. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has defended plans to prevent ministers who oppose EU membership from seeing certain government documents.
Sir Jeremy Heywood last week issued guidance that the civil service would support the government to make the case for the UK to remain in a reformed EU. He said the government, which backs EU membership, was not neutral and those who disagreed could draw on specific policy information from other sources.
But it said ministers opposing the government should not be given briefing or speech material on the subject. MPs are to question the UK's top civil servant after he issued guidance to withhold "referendum-related" material.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said it "can't possibly happen". One anti-EU minister said retaining documents "can't possibly happen".
Sir Jeremy has been called to explain this position to the cross-party Public Administration Committee of MPs on Tuesday. How will a divided government work during campaign
The UK's EU vote: All you need to know
Remain v Leave: Where Conservatives stand
The government's official policy is that Britain should remain in the EU - and civil servants are duty-bound to support government policies.The government's official policy is that Britain should remain in the EU - and civil servants are duty-bound to support government policies.
Sir Jeremy's guidance says ministers opposing the official government line should not be given access to government papers on the referendum or Prime Minister David Cameron's EU renegotiations - apart from ones they had already seen. Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heyward's guidance says ministers opposing the official government line should not be given access to government papers on the referendum or Prime Minister David Cameron's EU renegotiations - apart from ones they had already seen.
It has prompted claims from leave campaigners that the establishment is lined up against them. He has been called to explain this position - which will apply initially until 28 days before the 23 June referendum - to the cross-party Public Administration Committee of MPs next week.
His guidance has prompted claims from leave campaigners that the establishment is lined up against them.
But Mr Hammond defended the government's stance on the issue.
He said: "Whitehall civil servants and Whitehall papers are produced in support of the government's position on an issue.
"Now, those ministers who want to argue another case are being allowed to do so but the civil service can't support them in doing that."
And Downing Street rejected suggestions there was a blanket ban on access to all EU-related material in the run-up to the vote.
"There is no ban on ministers who support Leave receiving government papers," it said. "Day-to-day EU business will continue to be conducted in the usual way and all ministers will retain access to any papers relevant to their departments.
"It is only papers specifically relating to the EU referendum that they will not receive and that reflects the fact that the government has taken a position and they are choosing to take a different one."
'Dangerous'
The public administration committee, chaired by Bernard Jenkin, who wants to leave the EU, will question whether the guidance could interfere with the business of government.The public administration committee, chaired by Bernard Jenkin, who wants to leave the EU, will question whether the guidance could interfere with the business of government.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith is one of the five cabinet ministers campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, along with Commons Leader Chris Grayling, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale, Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers and Justice Secretary Michael Gove. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, one of the five cabinet ministers campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, told the BBC that in his view Sir Jeremy's guidance could not be adhered to, as he needed to know what was going on in his department.
Mr Duncan Smith told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that in his view Sir Jeremy's guidance could not be adhered to, as he needed to know what was going on in his department. "We are responsible for the department," he told the Andrew Marr show.
"We are responsible for the department. For example, I will have to work on these proposals that came back from the recent negotiations [in Brussels]. If we vote to remain in, we [the Department of Work and Pensions] will have to deliver that," he added. "For example, I will have to work on these proposals that came back from the recent negotiations [in Brussels]. If we vote to remain in, we [the Department of Work and Pensions] will have to deliver that."
In the Sunday Telegraph he also said that constitutionally, ministers should continue to receive official documents. In an article for the Sunday Telegraph he also said that constitutionally, ministers should continue to receive official documents.
Responding to suggestions he could be replaced in a cabinet reshuffle after the referendum, Mr Duncan Smith added: "If my face no longer fits, my face no longer fits. And farming minister George Eustice said ministers needed "100% access" to material relating to day-day dealings with the EU.
"My big passion is welfare reform. But Europe goes over everything." "It would be very dangerous, I think, for the civil service to get into a position of saying there's a type of minister who can't have access to this information - otherwise what you're really saying is eurosceptic ministers can't be part of the government in future."
He cited concerns about the euro, border controls and migration among his reasons for wanting to leave.
"I have no idea what it looks like if we stay. The difference is, if we stay, we are bound to this ship that is heading in an unknown direction and sailing perilously close to the rocks."
In the same newspaper, however, the prime minister warned of the risks of leaving the EU.
He said those campaigning to leave had been "extremely vague".
"It's simply not good enough to assert everything will be all right when jobs and our country's future are at stake.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the only certainty of exit is uncertainty; that leaving Europe is fraught with risk."
The UK's referendum on whether to remain in or leave the EU will be held on 23 June.