Here we go again. The sorry saga of the impact assessments continues. First, David Davis was telling MPs about the “excruciating detail” of the government’s impact assessments.
After parliament passed a binding motion calling for these documents to be published he changed tack and said no “economic forecast” ever existed. And then on Monday night, documents were leaked revealing assessments do exist.
It was absurd for ministers to ever claim that they were taking the biggest decision in our country’s recent history without any evidence whatsoever. For David Davis to go blind into the negotiations with the EU would have been wrong in principle and a derogation of duty.
But what is even more absurd is the fact that the government is now refusing to give parliament access to this information.
People voted for Britain to leave the European Union in part because they wanted parliament to have a say and influence about our country’s future. That means giving MPs access to the information to allow for an informed debate and for decisions being taken by ministers to be properly scrutinised.
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Many of the extreme Brexiteers in Theresa May’s party were quick to dismiss yesterday’s leak.
However, let us not forget that the government commissioned these papers. To now rubbish them as a first line of defence for not disclosing them is frankly ridiculous.
In my experience, our civil service do the best they can in sometimes difficult circumstances, whether or not they like the instruction they are given. To dismiss their work rather than engaging with the outcome or substance is not good government.
It is also wrong for Steve Baker, the Brexit minister, to claim that the figures are confidential but at the same time try to use them to his advantage when speaking at the despatch box. To do so completely undermines his case for non-disclosure.
It now takes the Labour Party to stand up for the national interest and to use an ancient procedure to allow parliament to do its job properly.
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We should not have to do this. But ministers have left us no choice. At every twist and turn they have sought to sideline responsible scrutiny and keep the country in the dark.
If the Brexiteers want to save themselves from any further embarrassment then they should accept our motion today and in their own words let parliament take back control.
Sir Keir Starmer is Labour’s shadow secretary of state for exiting the European Union