£33m bill... so where was Failing Grayling?
Minister dodges MPs over botched ferry contract
CHRIS Grayling faced ridicule last night after refusing to appear in the Commons to explain why taxpayers have been landed with a £33million legal bill over bungled postBrexit ferry contracts.
The Transport Secretary remained in Whitehall as Labour demanded answers on the huge payment to settle legal action over how ‘secretive’ contracts were awarded – including one to a firm which did not have any ships.
Labour’s transport spokesman Andy McDonald said Mr Grayling – dubbed Failing Grayling over a catalogue of botched policies – was an ‘international embarrassment’ and suggested he had been ‘sent into hiding’ when Health Secretary Matt Hancock arrived to answer an urgent question on the legal bill
Failing Grayling costs taxpayers £33m after bungling Brexit ferry contracts
in the Commons. It was announced last week that Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, would be handed £33million to drop its legal challenge over Government contracts worth £108million for additional ferry crossings to ports other than Dover in the event of a No Deal Brexit.
Mr McDonald added: ‘Even in this golden age of ministerial incompetence, the Transport Secretary stands out from the crowd. He leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, causing chaos and wasting billions of pounds, yet he shows no contrition, no acknowledgement of his mistakes nor any resolve to learn and improve.’
Mr McDonald went on: ‘This country cannot afford this Transport Secretary. He should be sacked without delay.’
In a further embarrassment, ministers yesterday faced questions over a critical report by the National Audit Office into the part-privatisation of probation services. Mr Grayling was Justice Secretary when the contracts were handed out. The Transport Secretary has even gained international recognition through a New York Times article questioning how he survives.
The report stated: ‘ He has bumbled his way from one government post to another, accused of making a hash of each, and becoming a byword for haplessness in a golden age of political blundering in Britain.’ Around 90 per cent of the extra cross- Channel ferry capacity arranged by the Government is to ensure medical supplies continue to arrive if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. In his response to MPs, Mr Hancock said: ‘The purpose of the decision was to ensure the unhindered flow of medicines. The purpose of this is to make sure that whatever happens in Brexit, people can be safe.’
A source close to Mr Grayling yesterday said his diary was filled with a number of meetings at the Department for Transport, while Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May continues to have full confidence in Mr Grayling.
Mrs May’s official spokesman said: ‘The settlement with Eurotunnel was a cross-Government decision, as the provision of freight capacity was largely designed to secure the ongoing supply of crucial medicines. So it’s entirely appropriate for the Health Secretary to answer the question.’
‘Golden age of blundering’