Brexit minister suggests civil servants may be conspiring against the government

Brexit minister Steve
Baker
Reuters

• Brexit minister says he has heard claims that Treasury
  officials are conspiring against the government on
  Brexit.
• He says he has not confirmed the « extraordinary » claims
  that officials are deliberately trying to keep Britain in the
  customs union.
• Steve Baker was speaking following leaked civil service
  analysis showing Brexit will damage the economy.
• The minister sparked controversy this week after
  claiming that official forecasts were « always wrong. »

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LONDON — The civil service may be conspiring to keep Britain in
the customs union after Brexit, the Brexit minister Steve Baker
has suggested.

Civil servants are legally obliged to remain impartial on public
policy. However, Baker was asked in the House of Commons by
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg whether he had heard claims that
Treasury officials had « deliberately developed a model » to show
that « every model other than staying in the customs union were
bad as a means to influence policy. »

Baker told MPs that he was « sorry to say that my honourable
friend’s account is essentially correct. »

When challenged by opposition MPs, Baker insisted that he had not
confirmed whether the « extraordinary » allegations were true, but
was concerned about them.

He added: « I think we must proceed with great caution in this
matter, but I have heard him raise this issue. I think we have to
be very careful not to take this forward in an appropriate matter
but he has reminded me of something I heard and I think it would
be quite extraordinary if it turned out that such a thing had
happened. »

Mogg was referring to comments allegedly made by the Director of
Centre for European Reform Charles Grant. 

However, Grant later categorically denied having made the
comments attributed to him by Mogg and Baker.

« I did not say or imply that the Treasury had deliberately
developed a model to show that all non-customs union options were
bad, with the intention to influence policy, » Grant said in a
statement.

A spokesperson for the CER added: « The CER would like to
clarify that Charles Grant told Steve Baker at the Conservative
Party conference that he was aware of research carried out by the
Treasury which apparently showed the economic benefits of free
trade agreements with countries outside the EU were significantly
less than the costs of leaving the customs union. Charles Grant
did not say or imply that the Treasury had deliberately developed
a model to show that all options outside the customs union were
bad with an intention to influence policy. »

Watch the Brexit minister on « extraordinary » conspiracy claims

Baker was speaking following leaked civil service analysis which
suggested this week that the British economy will grow at a
slower rate after leaving the single market and Customs Union,
than if it had stayed in.

The Brexit minister dismissed the analysis earlier this week,
saying that such official forecasts were « always wrong. »

Downing Street has yet to comment on Baker’s comments. However,
when asked by Business Insider on Thursday whether the prime
minister believes there is a wider civil service conspiracy
against the government on Brexit, they replied « no. »