Brexit impact assessments: what are they hiding?
- Neil Foster
- Nov 7, 2017
- 1 min read
During the EU referendum, the Leave campaign’s slogan was ‘take back control’ – not ‘let’s fly blind’.
So the Government’s continued refusal to publish its Brexit impact assessments beggars belief.
The Department for Exiting the European Union has done over 50 different risk studies relating to Brexit, and we’ve been trying to get them published since January. Our General Secretary Tim personally wrote to the Prime Minster in October demanding their publication.
Ministers were finally ordered to do so today, only to keep them secret once more.
Instead, they said it might be weeks before we all see what could be in store for our economy.
Keeping the reports hidden keeps all those with an interest in the success of UK industries in the dark.
Working people, and the businesses they work for, need this information public to help them with the challenges and risks of Brexit, as well as to take advantage of any opportunities.
Regardless of how you voted in the referendum, most people want this information public. In March, we published opinion polling showing so.
What could the Government be hiding?
Refusing to publish these reports just raises my suspicions that they’re making decisions relating to Brexit against the economic interests of our members and other working people.
The Budget is now just around the corner on 22 November. Theresa May and Philip Hammond must be honest with the public and publish these secret impact assessments then too.
