MPs have passed a motion ordering Theresa May to release 58 secret studies into the economic damage from Brexit, triggering a huge political row. Ministers provoked fury by refusing to say they will abide by what independent parliamentary clerks advised would be a “binding” decision. The Conservatives refused to take part in a vote – prompting accusations that the Prime Minister knew she would lose and has lost control of the parliamentary process for Brexit.
It meant the motion – demanding that the assessments be released to a select committee of MPs for scrutiny – passed unanimously.Speaker John Bercow said he would wait and see the Government response to the motion, and did not rule out bringing contempt procedures against the Government if the impact assessments were not forthcoming. MPs approved unopposed Labour’s motion, which asked for a “humble address” requesting the Queen to direct Brexit Secretary David Davis to release the documents.
The clerks had agreed that 19th-century rules allow MPs to demand papers “which are in the possession of ministers”, by passing a motion, the party argued. The idea is that the studies would be released to the Brexit Select Committee, which would review them and decide which information should be put in the public domain.
Ministers have insisted Brexit policy-making must be “conducted in a safe space to allow for design and deliberation to be done in private”. They also claimed that Parliament voted, last December, to keep under wraps any documents that could undermine attempts to negotiate the best deal for Britain.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-theresa-may-studies-economic-damage-vote-mps-force-latest-a8032311.html
Pro-tip: if you do 58 secret studies, best to keep at least some of them secret enough such that the opposition doesn't know there are 58 of them.
ReplyDeleteI would be prepared to believe that there are 60something studies held back.
ReplyDeleteI just don't believe that any one of them says anything positive about Brexit. The government would be shouting the news from the rooftops otherwise.