Bercow warns Davis: Hand over reports or you could be thrown out of the Commons

WHILE Remain MPs insist details that could undermine Britain’s Brexit negotiations should be disclosed, European Commission guidelines stress the need to keep its position secret in trade talks.

An official document states: ‘A level of confidentiality is necessary to protect our interests and to keep chances for a satisfactory outcome high.’

Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said it should be up to MPs on the Brexit committee, and not ministers, to say what was kept secret.

But Tory Iain Duncan Smith said they had ‘every right to ensure not all confidential information is made available, otherwise that might restrict our negotiating position’.

DAVID Davis could be expelled from Parliament if he fails to hand over sensitive documents on the impact of Brexit on the economy, John Bercow warned yesterday.

The Commons Speaker said Mr Davis could face a charge of contempt of Parliament if he failed to satisfy MPs who want details of impact assessments on 58 sectors of the economy.

The Brexit Secretary gave MPs an 850-page dossier on the subject, but only after sensitive information had been removed.

Hilary Benn, Labour chairman of the Commons Brexit committee, said he had failed to respect a parliamentary vote calling for the information to be provided in full.

Labour Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Davis of ‘treating Parliament with contempt’.

But Brexit minister Robin Walker said the Government had an ‘overriding duty to the national interest’ not to publish information that could undermine Britain’s position in Brexit talks.

Tory Craig Mackinlay, from the committee, said calls for the details to be published in full were led by ‘people who want to carry on fighting the Remain campaign’.

Mr Davis agreed last night to hold talks with Mr Benn. But Mr Bercow said he would consider a charge of contempt of Parliament if he failed to satisfy his critics.

This could see Mr Davis suspended from Parliament or expelled.

But Mr Benn was accused of hypocrisy after it emerged that as environment secretary he refused a series of freedom of information requests on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

He rejected information requests as trivial as a second giant panda going to Edinburgh Zoo, the location of Welsh catfish and details of contracts for cleaning his department’s toilets.