David Davis refuses to reveal if regional Brexit study exists because it might damage the economy

David Davis has refused to say whether his
department analysed the impact of Brexit on British
regions - because it could provoke a "reactionary
response" that could damage the economy.
The Department for Exiting the European Union
(DExEU) said confirming or denying its existence
could "impact the national and regional economies by
precipitating preemptive and reactionary assumptions
from stakeholders in the respective regions".
It was responding to a freedom of information (FOI)
request from the Press Association following claims
by the department's former chief of staff, James
Chapman, that it carried out analysis showing
Scotland and the North East of England would lose
most from Brexit.
Chancellor Philip Hammond appeared to suggest to
MPs earlier this week that such a study did indeed
exist, and agreed there was a public interest in seeing
it.
He told the Treasury Select Committee: “We are
constantly using this model. It is not a single
assessment, the model is a working tool. We
constantly use it to test different ideas and potential
solutions.”
Asked if he understood there was a public interest in
“understanding and seeing these assessments and
understanding their implications”, Mr Hammond said:
“Yes.”
It came as the Brexit Secretary and Treasury were
threatened with legal action within two weeks unless
they publish more than 50 studies on the economic
impact of Britain's withdrawal from the European
Union.
The department's refusal to engage with PA on
whether the regional analysis even exists comes after
repeated attempts by MPs and campaigners to make
public documents on Brexit's impact through
parliamentary questions and FOI requests.
DExEU's response said: "In this case, the disclosure
of whether information is held or not held may give
insight which could in turn undermine the UK's
negotiations with the EU or adversely affect the UK's
national and regional interests.
"By confirming or denying whether we held this
information, we could similarly impact the national
and regional economies by precipitating preemptive
and reactionary assumptions from stakeholders in the
respective regions.
"This, again, may undermine the success of the
bilateral negotiations and consequently damage the
UK economy."
Earlier this week, Labour's David Lammy helped
orchestrate a letter from more than 120 MPs urging
Mr Davis to "come clean" and publish DExEU's
economic analysis.
He told the Press Association: "DExEU need to stop
keeping Parliament and the public in the dark and
come clean about all the Brexit impact assessments
they have carried out.
"The public have a right to know what analysis has
been done and this analysis has to be published in full
so the impact of Brexit is set out and we can have a
full and frank debate with all the facts and analysis
out in the open.
"It is unacceptable to prevaricate and evade
questions and freedom of information requests when
our economy, jobs and living standards are on the
line."
Meanwhile, it emerged DExEU had spent millions of
pounds engaging a consultancy firm on a decade-long
contract.
Documents released today revealed the department
had engaged McKinsey & Company on a £1.9 million
deal until 2027 - eight years after Britain is supposed
to have left the EU.
Labour's Chris Bryant MP, a supporter of the Open
Britain group, said: “David Davis talks about agreeing
a deal with the EU by 2019, but with his Department
agreeing consultancy contracts through until 2027 he
clearly doesn’t believe a word of it.
“Nobody told us in the referendum campaign that
Brexit would take a decade or more to complete, or
that it would cost vast sums to carry it out. Instead,
Leave campaigners like David Davis pretended it
would be easy, and that it would mean more money
for the NHS and public services.
“Taxpayers’ money is being spent to support the
Government’s extreme and damaging Brexit plans. But
they could hire all the consultants in the world – their
plan still wouldn’t work.
“It becomes clearer and clearer every day that Britain
was sold a pup.”