Davis avoids contempt of Parliament charges

DAVID Davis will not face charges of ‘contempt of Parliament’, despite angering pro-Remain MPs by refusing to publish further documents about the potential impact of Brexit on the economy.

The cross-party Brexit committee said last night that it accepted Mr Davis had complied with a parliamentary vote ordering the release of information his department has produced on the possible impact of leaving the EU. The Brexit Secretary bowed to parliamentary pressure last month to release an 850-page summary of work his department has done on the issues facing 58 sectors of the economy.

MPs on the Commons Brexit committee demanded the release of ‘impact assessments’. But yesterday Mr Davis, who appeared to be feeling the pressure of the Brexit negotiations, said no impact assessments had been produced because their value would be ‘near zero’.

Commons Speaker John Bercow had said he would consider proceedings for contempt of Parliament if the Brexit committee was dissatisfied – a charge that could have seen Mr Davis locked up in the tower that houses Big Ben. But last night the committee divided on party lines, with the Tory majority supporting Mr Davis.