Alok Sharma slammed for swerving parliamentary scrutiny on Brexit
A row has erupted between a Westminster committee and Alok Sharma, after the business secretary refused to attend a hearing on Brexit next week.
Labour MP Darren Jones, and chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) Committee, hit out at Sharma saying it “is a very poor show when a secretary of state for business dodges Select Committee scrutiny on an issue as important as business preparedness for Brexit”.
Sharma was contacted for comment.
In a statement released today, Jones said: “While Britain’s businesses hope that a Brexit deal will be reached, companies across sectors including automotive, manufacturing, retail, and financial services, and many others will face disruption from 1 January.
“Even at this eleventh hour, it is vital that everything possible is being done to advise and support businesses as they prepare for the end of the transition period. Scrutiny of the Government’s efforts is crucial to help ensure this support is as effective and targeted as possible.”
The UK is just 30 days away from the end of the Brexit transition period, with trade negotiations still dragging on.
EU negotiators are in London this week to carry on “intensive” talks, with some predicting a breakthrough may happen this week.
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said yesterday: “I do think a deal is possible, but it needs to be finalised this week if possible, because we really are running out of time in terms of ratification and preparation.”
Sharma said two weeks ago that the UK and EU had “made progress” in talks, but that “we need to make sure the EU understands that the UK is a sovereign nation and that’s the basis on which our arrangement with the EU is in the future”.
Little has changed since Sharma’s comments, with talks still deadlocked over future fishing access to UK waters.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier’s starting position in talks with the UK was that Brussels wanted EU countries to retain the same rights to fish in British waters as they had prior to Brexit.
It is believed this has been watered down to a demand of 80 per cent of previous access.
However, this was still turned down by UK chief negotiator David Frost, who said on many occasions that the UK will be a “independent coastal state” from next year.
Frost has pushed for a “zonal” arrangement, which would see EU countries allowed only a certain amount of fish from UK waters every year.