Labour motion seeking release of Brexit economic impact assessments passes unanimously

Wednesday, 1 November 2017 19:19

Following tonight's vote in the House of Commons on the release of economic impact studies to the Brexit Select Committee, a DExEU spokesperson said: "As the Minister made clear during the debate, we take all Parliamentary votes seriously and recognise that Parliament does have rights relating to the publication of documents. Ministers also have a clear obligation not to disclose information when doing so would not be in the public interest. We will...Request free trial

Following tonight's vote in the House of Commons on the release of economic impact studies to the Brexit Select Committee, a DExEU spokesperson said:

"As the Minister made clear during the debate, we take all Parliamentary votes seriously and recognise that Parliament does have rights relating to the publication of documents. Ministers also have a clear obligation not to disclose information when doing so would not be in the public interest. We will reflect on the implications of the vote and respond in due course."

For background:

As the Leader of the House of Commons has set out, in the event that an opposition day motion is carried, the Government will respond by making a statement within 12 weeks: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-10-26/HCWS199/

Labour's reaction

MPs have unanimously passed a Labour motion calling on the Government to share the 58 Brexit impact studies to a parliamentary select committee.

The Speaker of the House of Commons has been clear that today's decision is binding. Speaking during the debate, John Bercow, said: “Motions of this kind have in the past been seen as effective or binding.”

Labour is now calling on ministers to urgently set a date for when the papers will be released to the Brexit Select Committee.

Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, said:

"This is a victory for Parliament and for democracy.

“Labour has been absolutely clear since the referendum that ministers could not withhold vital information from Parliament about the impact of Brexit on jobs and the economy.

“It’s completely unacceptable for the Tories to have wasted months avoiding responsible scrutiny and trying to keep the public in the dark. The reality is that it should not have taken an ancient Parliamentary procedure to get ministers to listen to common sense.

"As the Speaker has made clear, the Government cannot ignore tonight's binding decision. David Davis must now respond to Parliament’s ruling and urgently set a date for when he will share these papers."