Secrecy row sparked over edited Brexit papers
The Government has been accused of attempting to hide the consequences of Brexit by issuing a heavily edited analysis on the impact of leaving the EU.
Ministers had promised to provide the Brexit Select Committee with detailed information on how Britain's EU departure will affect 58 industrial sectors, but instead submitted redacted documents.
Brexit Secretary David Davis refused to include anything deemed to be market-sensitive or that he said could damage the UK’s negotiations with the remaining EU members.
Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden, who sits on the cross-party Brexit Select Committee, said: "The government is using the 'undermine the negotiations' defence to keep the truth about Brexit and its consequences from the public.
"This is in keeping with the pattern for the past 18 months that anyone who asks too many questions is accused of betraying the country.
"There's a big difference between what is politically embarrassing and what is not in the national interest.
"The public have a right to know what the options facing the country are and what the consequences are."
Mr Davis said he was withholding the information because he had 'received no assurances from the [Brexit] committee regarding how any information passed will be used'.
That led shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer to warn that he would press Commons Speaker John Bercow for a ruling on whether he was in contempt of Parliament.
"The Government is under an obligation to pass this information to the Brexit committee," Sir Keir said.
"If it is failing in that obligation, as it appears to be, we intend to raise it with the Speaker. It follows from that that the Government could be in contempt of Parliament.
"Having agreed to this procedure, they are now breaching it at the 11th hour.”
Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who sits on the committee, said the Government was 'in serious constitutional waters if it doesn’t provide the full information'.
"This is nothing to do with Brexit or party politics – it is to do with the rights of the House of Commons," he said.
"We will all be in opposition one day – and it is important to remember that. If you try to trample the rights of the Commons in government – then when in opposition you have no means of curtailing abuses of power.”
The committee, which is headed by Labour MP Hilary Benn, was due to meet this morning to discuss the issue.
