Leadsom rejects claims Government was in contempt of Parliament on Brexit advice

Andrea Leadsom has refuted accusations that the Government has acted in contempt of Parliament by refusing to publish legal advice on the Brexit deal.

The Commons Leader said ministers had treated MPs “with the greatest of respect” as she argued that Attorney General Geoffrey Cox had gone out of his way to satisfy Parliament’s motion calling for the release of the full legal text provided to Cabinet on Theresa May’s deal.

Mr Cox, who is the Government’s chief legal adviser, published an overview of his legal advice on Monday but opposition parties said that, by limiting the information released, ministers had ignored the demands of MPs.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, moving a motion of contempt, told MPs the Government had been “wilfully refusing to comply” with the binding Commons order.

Sir Keir, addressing the Government amendment which asks a committee to examine claims that ministers are in contempt of Parliament over the issue, said: “There is nothing to refer – a binding order was made and the Government is refusing to comply with it.

“The reality is, yet again, by its amendment, the Government is simply playing for time in the hope that this ends up in the long grass until the crucial vote is long gone.”

Mrs Leadsom, responding to the contempt motion, warned MPs they must “exercise caution in this matter”.

She said: “The use of this motion has happened very rarely in the history of Parliament and I don’t think any member of this House can be in any doubt that the information that the Attorney General provided yesterday was a very frank assessment of the legal position.

“The questions posed by members on all sides addressed the key issues we must all consider on the legal effect of the Withdrawal Agreement.”

She added: “No honourable member could say in all honesty that the Attorney General has done anything other than treat this House with the greatest of respect, there can be no question that he or the Government has acted in a manner which is contemptuous of this House.”

Tory grandee Ken Clarke intervened to ask Mrs Leadsom if the advice could be provided to opposition MPs under privy council terms.

She rejected the idea, however, telling MPs: “He wants all legal advice to be put into the public domain without any attempt at protecting the national interest.”

Mrs Leadsom concluded by saying: “In this Mother of Parliaments, surely we are nothing if we don’t uphold our own constitutional process?

“I appeal to all members right across this House that, if they seek to pass this amendment, they should refer it to the committee in line with our parliamentary procedures and I urge all members to support the Government’s amendment.”

Conservative Sir William Cash criticised the Attorney General for talking down to MPs.

He said: “It’s most unsatisfactory for this issue to be regarded as a parlour game and we were then told to ‘stop messing around’ with the process and to ‘grow up’.

“I do think that somewhat under-estimates the significance of what we’re dealing with.”