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| MPs attack David Davis for handing over edited Brexit reports | |
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| David Davis has provided the Brexit select committee with a government-led analysis on how leaving the EU will affect 58 sectors of the economy, but opposition MPs believe “politically embarrassing” information may have been removed from the reports. | David Davis has provided the Brexit select committee with a government-led analysis on how leaving the EU will affect 58 sectors of the economy, but opposition MPs believe “politically embarrassing” information may have been removed from the reports. |
| It is understood that ministers have removed anything deemed to be market sensitive and taken out information that they believe could weaken Britain’s negotiating hand in talks with the EU27. | It is understood that ministers have removed anything deemed to be market sensitive and taken out information that they believe could weaken Britain’s negotiating hand in talks with the EU27. |
| Seema Malhotra, a Labour MP and member of the committee who has spearheaded a drive to obtain the information, said publishing material that had been edited was “against the spirit and the letter of parliament’s motion”. | Seema Malhotra, a Labour MP and member of the committee who has spearheaded a drive to obtain the information, said publishing material that had been edited was “against the spirit and the letter of parliament’s motion”. |
| “It would show once again how desperate ministers are to hide the facts about Brexit from parliament and the public,” she said. “Ministers must give the committee all the information they need, or they will once again face embarrassment and defeat in the House of Commons.” | “It would show once again how desperate ministers are to hide the facts about Brexit from parliament and the public,” she said. “Ministers must give the committee all the information they need, or they will once again face embarrassment and defeat in the House of Commons.” |
| Davis has been under pressure to release the reports after MPs voted unanimously in favour of a Labour-led motion, which the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, made clear was binding. He called on ministers to comply “very promptly indeed”, setting a deadline of Tuesday 28 November. | Davis has been under pressure to release the reports after MPs voted unanimously in favour of a Labour-led motion, which the Commons Speaker, John Bercow, made clear was binding. He called on ministers to comply “very promptly indeed”, setting a deadline of Tuesday 28 November. |
| The Brexit secretary has previously told a select committee that his government was “in the midst of carrying out about 57 sets of analyses, each of which has implications for individual parts of 85% of the economy. Some of those are still to be concluded.” | The Brexit secretary has previously told a select committee that his government was “in the midst of carrying out about 57 sets of analyses, each of which has implications for individual parts of 85% of the economy. Some of those are still to be concluded.” |
| However, those inside the Department for Exiting the EU have insisted separate reports for each sector never existed. The suggestion is that civil servants have been working continuously on assessing the impact of Brexit on each of those areas, and have now pulled together information thought to meet the parliamentary demand. | However, those inside the Department for Exiting the EU have insisted separate reports for each sector never existed. The suggestion is that civil servants have been working continuously on assessing the impact of Brexit on each of those areas, and have now pulled together information thought to meet the parliamentary demand. |
| The information handed to the committee has come in the form of 39 reports, it emerged on Monday night. | The information handed to the committee has come in the form of 39 reports, it emerged on Monday night. |
| The select committee said the information would be treated in the same way as any evidence, with members assessing it during a meeting on Tuesday morning and deciding what should be placed in the public domain. | The select committee said the information would be treated in the same way as any evidence, with members assessing it during a meeting on Tuesday morning and deciding what should be placed in the public domain. |
| Pat McFadden, a Labour MP on the Brexit committee, said he was yet to see the information. | Pat McFadden, a Labour MP on the Brexit committee, said he was yet to see the information. |
| “Unless the government has a very convincing reason to withhold something, my instincts are that it should be made public,” he said. “There’s a big difference between information which is politically embarrassing and information which genuinely is not in the national interest. And I am highly sceptical of about the accusation that anyone asking serious questions about the issues on Brexit is undermining our negotiating strategy.” | “Unless the government has a very convincing reason to withhold something, my instincts are that it should be made public,” he said. “There’s a big difference between information which is politically embarrassing and information which genuinely is not in the national interest. And I am highly sceptical of about the accusation that anyone asking serious questions about the issues on Brexit is undermining our negotiating strategy.” |