Prime Minister stands by Brexit minister Steve Baker despite claims he misled parliament
The Prime Minister is standing by minister Steve Baker, despite claims he misled parliament after implying the civil service had distorted economic analysis to push for a softer Brexit.
Baker this morning appeared to confirm backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg’s claim that Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, had said “officials in the Treasury have deliberately developed a model to show that all options other than staying in the customs union were bad and that officials intended to use this to influence policy”.
Brexit secretary David Davis appeared to whisper “didn’t happen” to his junior minister. However, Baker said: “I am sorry to say that my honourable friend’s account is essentially correct.”
Davis then made this face:
Baker went on to clarify that “at the time I considered it implausible because my direct experience is that civil servants are extraordinarily careful to uphold the impartiality of the civil service”.
He then added: “I think we must proceed with great caution in this matter but I heard him raise this issue. I think we need to be very careful not to take this forward in an inappropriate way… I think it would be quite extraordinary if it turned out that such a thing had happened.”
But MPs in the chamber at the time clearly weren’t buying it, with MPs muttering in disbelief at his apparent u-turn from his initial response.
A government spokesman this afternoon said Baker had been spoken to by a senior Number 10 aide, but said the Prime Minister had full confidence in him.
“Steve Baker has set out his account and there’s no reason to doubt him,” the spokesman said.
He added that Baker was “playing an important role at the Department for Exiting the EU (DexEU)… and doing a good job”.
But Baker’s account has been contradicted by several people who attended the lunch, including Grant himself.
“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. I did not say or imply that the Treasury had deliberately developed a model to show that all non-customs union options were bad, with the intention to influence policy,” Grant said.
His statement also suggests that the government was aware of the analysis as early as the start of October last year, which is much earlier than ministers including David Davis have so far implied.
Tory MP Antoinette Sandbach tweeted: “I was at the Prospect lunch at which [Charles 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.”
Remain-supporting Tory MP Anna Soubry has also weighed in, accusing Baker of misleading parliament.
She tweeted: “It appears a Govt Minister has misled Parliament & the record must be set straight.”
And his comments have been attacked by the FDA union, which represents civil servants.
General secretary Dave Penman said: “To stand at the despatch box and refuse to challenge a half-baked conspiracy theory about the civil service – one that even now is being disowned by its supposed source – is the height of irresponsibility from a serving minister.
“It’s not good enough for Mr Baker to simply shrug his shoulders and allow unfounded accusations about officials to go unchallenged. Every day civil servants put their personal views to one side and work tirelessly to implement the decision of ministers – and they do so with a professionalism that puts the likes of Mr Baker to shame.
“These cowardly actions are beneath the office he holds and Mr Baker risks seriously undermining the government he is part of.”
This is the second time this week Baker has incurred the wrath of the civil service. On Tuesday he was slammed by the FDA after he claimed the leak of a document analysing the economic impact of Brexit had been motivated by a desire to undermine the process. He also, repeatedly, rubbished such analyses.
Yesterday he tweeted that they – meaning civil servants – “know I still love them”.
https://twitter.com/SteveBakerHW/status/95862388275536691