Brexit committee publishes 'sectoral analyses' for UK economy

Documents from the Government's "sectoral analyses" of Brexit have been published by the House of Commons Exiting the European Union Committee.

The material comes from two lever-arch files containing 850 pages of what Brexit Secretary David Davis termed sectoral analyses setting out the current position of various parts of the UK economy.

Mr Davis handed over the documents after the Commons passed a Labour motion calling on him to publish 58 sectoral studies, later admitting that specific impact assessments had not been produced by the Government because their usefulness would be "near zero".

Exiting the EU Committee chairman Hilary Benn said: "After providing this material to the committee, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union told us on December 6 that the Government have not undertaken any impact assessments on the implications of leaving the EU for different sectors of the British economy, but that what he had sent consisted of a number of sectoral analyses with certain material held back.

"Since that evidence session, we have sought to clarify with the Secretary of State whether there is any specific material in the documents provided that he would prefer the committee not to publish on the grounds that it is commercially, market or negotiation-sensitive information.

"In light of his response, the committee has today decided to publish this material provided to us by the Department (for Exiting the EU)."

Mr Davis had been accused of misleading Parliament after admitting no impact assessments had been made.

Previously, he had told MPs as early as last December that his department was "in the midst of carrying out about 57 sets of analyses" on different parts of the economy.

In a TV interview in June, he said nearly 60 sector analyses had been completed and in October he told the Brexit committee that Prime Minister Theresa May had read "summary outcomes" of impact assessments, which he said went into "excruciating detail".

In the end, all that was handed over was the "sectoral analyses" documents which have been described as "underwhelming" by Lord Jay of Ewelme, the acting chair of the House of Lords EU Committee.

But Mr Davis dodged threats of an investigation for alleged contempt of Parliament, after the Commons Exiting the EU committee ruled that he had adequately fulfilled the terms of the motion passed by MPs.

The Exiting the EU Committee has published a total of 39 sectoral reports on different industries on its website.