The Government is keeping as many as 29 million workers in the dark over their future, new research has revealed.
Civil servants have made official assessments of how Brexit will hit 58 different sector of the economy – but Brexit Secretary David Davis wants to keep their findings secret as he says making them public could “undermine” talks with the EU.
Labour’s Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary, has launched a bid to force the Government to publish the documents.
By proposing what is known as a ‘humble address’, Starmer will ask the Queen herself to order the release of the documents.
If pro-EU Tories defy Theresa May the vote will bind ministers, Labour says.
Open Britain, which is campaigning for the UK to stay in the single market, has calculated the secret documents cover 88% of the workforce.
Labour MP Seema Malhotra MP, said: “It is unclear why the Government is determined to keep 29 million British workers in the dark about the impact Brexit could have on their jobs, careers and livelihoods.
“Working people have every right to know what is going to happen in their industries and their workplaces because of Brexit.
“Ministers may not be bothered enough to read these reports but people deserve to see the facts for themselves. If these reports show that Brexit will cause real damage to our economy and our country, the public has a right to know.”
Advertising and marketing 153,000 Aerospace 230,000 Agriculture, Animal Health and Food and Drink manufacturing 850,000 Architecture 91,200 Asset Management 37,000 Audit and accounting 342,000 Automotive 814,000 Aviation 960,000 Broadcasting 77,900 Bus and coach transport 250,000 Catering: retail and wholesale 1,700,000 Chemicals 105,000 Construction and Engineering 2,900,000 Crafts 300,000 Defence 142,000 Design: product, graphic, and fashion design 180,000 Electricity market, incl. renewables 112,026 Electronics 850,000 Environmental Services: waste 357,200 Environmental Services: water 357,200 Film, TV, video, radio and photography 114,000 Fintech 61,000 Fisheries 11,800 Gambling 106,678 Gas market n/a Higher Education 410,130 Insurance and pensions 315,000 IT, software, and computer services (incl. video games) 1,400,000 Legal Services 370,000 Life Sciences 482,000 Machinery and equipment n/a Maritime/ports including marine equipment 113,000 Market infrastructure (financial services) n/a Medical devices 50,000 Medical services and social care 3,000,000 Museums, galleries, and libraries 55,000 Music, performing and visual arts 84,470 Nuclear 15,500 Oil and fossil fuel production (including gas) 375,000 Payment services and systems n/a Pharmaceuticals 53,000 Post 161,136 Professional services 1,100,000 Publishing 209,000 Rail including manufacturing 190,000 Real Estate 1,000,000 Retail 2,700,000 Retail and corporate banking 421,000 Road haulage and logistics 1,620,000 Space 38,522 Steel and other metals/commodities 230,000 Technology (ICT) 1,500,000 Telecommunications 1,500,000 Textiles and Clothing 39,000 Tourism 2,970,000 Wholesale markets and investment banking 421,000
Starmer said: “This debate is about transparency and accountability.
“Ministers cannot keep withholding vital information from Parliament about the impact of Brexit on jobs and the economy.
“Labour recognises the importance of protecting the Government’s negotiating position with the European Union. However, that does not give Ministers the right to impose a blanket ban on publishing any information whatsoever about the economic impact of Brexit.”
Giving evidence to the House of Lords EU Committee on Tuesday, Davis said the Government’s position was backed by MPs in a Commons vote last year.
“There was a House of Commons vote in December of last year where we said that we are not required to release anything which undermines the negotiation or the national interest frankly, or the negotiating stance of the British Government,” he told peers. “That is the reasoning behind it.”