'It's all NONSENSE!' Rees-Mogg's BOMBSHELL allegations provoke EPIC war of words
A FRANTIC war of words has broken out in Westminster after Jacob Ress-Mogg sparked mayhem when he forced Brexit Minister Steve Baker into backing allegations about a plot by Treasury officials to thwart the Brexit process.
Steve Baker apologises for civil service Brexit comments
Brexit Minister Steve Baker has apologised to Director for the Centre for European Reform Charles Grant after claiming he had told him Treasury officials were deliberately promoting Britain remaining in the customs union in an effort to use it to "influence policy".
In response to the claims, a furious Government source told Express.co.uk: “It’s all nonsense.”
The fall out from the comments has caused some Remain MPs to call on Theresa May to sack Junior Brexit Minister Steve Baker following the accusations. But Theresa May said she would not sack the frontbencher as she confirmed civil servants are “working together” to deliver Brexit.
Brexit news: Steve Baker has faced calls to step down for allegations made on Thursday
The Brexit Minister has since apologised for the claims in the Commons on Friday morning. He said he answered the question based on an “honest recollection” of the conversation.
He added: “As I explained yesterday, I considered what I understood to be the suggestion being put to me as implausible because of the long-standing and well-regarded impartiality of the civil service.
“The audio of that conversation is now available and I am glad the record stands corrected.
“In the context of that audio, I accept that I should have corrected or dismissed the premise of my honourable friend’s question.
“I have apologised to Mr Charles Grant, who is an honest and trustworthy man. As I have put on record many times, I have the highest regard for our hardworking civil servants.
“I’m grateful for this early opportunity to correct the record, Mr Deputy Speaker. And I apologise to the house.”
Mr Baker has also apologised on Twitter.
Brexit news: Steve Baker has apologised for his comments made on Thursday
Brexit news: Steve Baker has apologised for his comments made on Thursday
Brexit news: Steve Baker has apologised for his comments made on Thursday
It’s all nonsense
In the Commons on Thursday, Mr Rees-Mogg asked the Brexit Minister: “Will my honourable friend confirm that he heard from Charles Grant for the Centre of European Research that officials in the Treasury have deliberately developed a model to show all options other than staying in the customs union were bad and that officials intended to use that to influence policy?”
Brexit Minister David Davis winced as Mr Baker said the account is “essentially correct”.
Mr Baker added: “It was put to me. I considered it an extraordinary allegation. I still consider it an extraordinary comment.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg unearths huge Brexit revelation in Parliament
An audio clip later emerged suggesting Mr Baker was wrong about the comments. Mr Grant took to Twitter in response.
Tom is right that the audio of the lunch confirms what I said I said in the press release on @CER_EU website. @Jacob_Rees_Mogg got his facts wrong when he put the question to Steve Baker. I never said HMT skewed their research to produce the conclusion they wanted. https://t.co/BNlFca6CLz
— Charles Grant (@CER_Grant) February 1, 2018
Mr Rees-Mogg was unremorseful about the comments. Speaking at an event at Queen Mary University's Mile End Institute, Mr Rees-Mogg claimed Mr Grant had made a similar comment on Twitter prior to the Progress meeting.
He said: "If he says he didn't make it, he says he didn't make it. But he made a very similar claim on Twitter."
Mr Rees-Mogg’s account has provoked a huge backlash, with MP Antoinette Sandbach taking to Twitter to say she had not heard Mr Grant make the claims at the lunch event.
I was at the #Prospect lunch at which @CER_Grant is alleged to have made these comments as was a member of my staff. At NO point did I hear any suggestion of civil servants deliberately manipulating data modelling.
— Antoinette Sandbach (@Sandbach) February 1, 2018
Brexiters will stop at nothing to get Brexit at all costs. They
— Chuka Umunna (@ChukaUmunna) February 2, 2018
- smear 16m citizens calling them a liberal, metro elite
- say our judges are enemies of the people
- call for the Bank of England Governor to resign
- call hard working MPs sabateurs
We will NOT be silenced by them. https://t.co/fHHp4q01xH
Difficult to read this as otherwise than an allegation that @SteveBakerHW, a Minister, has misled Parliament. If so he is bound to resign or be sacked.
— Jo Maugham QC (@JolyonMaugham) February 1, 2018
(I should add that what @CER_Grant says he told Steve Baker is exactly what he has told others, including me). https://t.co/OEhpllS2G3
The FDA, the union representing civil servants, hit back at Mr Baker, saying he had shown signs of "irresponsibility" with his equivocal acceptance of Mr Rees-Mogg's "half-baked conspiracy theory."
General secretary Dave Penman said: "These cowardly actions are beneath the office he holds and Mr Baker risks seriously undermining the government he is part of."
Mr Grant later released a statement in which he said he had neither "said or implied the Treasury had deliberately developed a model to show that all non-customs union options were bad, with the intention to influence policy."
He added: "I recall saying to Steve Baker at a Prospect lunch at the Conservative Party conference that I was aware of research that the Treasury had done.
"This apparently showed that the economic benefits of the UK forging FTAs with third countries outside the EU were significantly less than the economic costs of leaving the customs union."
Jonathan Hallam, Former Director of Communication for John Major, told Sky News: “I’m pretty disgusted by it.
“Baker should lay off because public servants are doing a good job under impossible circumstances because the politicians aren’t giving the direction that they need.”
Mr Rees-Mogg's claim follows a Whitehall commissioned report leaked to BuzzFeed which outlined the impact Brexit would have on the British economy.
The leaked study allegedly discovered the economy would continue to grow slowly no matter the type of deal Britain strikes with Brussels.
The research is reportedly based on only three possible Brexit scenarios, excluding an analysis of the impact of a bespoke deal such as the one the Government is currently seeking to strike with the European Union.
The report reveals that with the softest Brexit option, UK growth will be two percent lower over the next 15 years with continued access to the single market.