As recent days have shown, Boris Johnson’s poor Brexit deal fails the country but will have more serious impact in some regions. I recently asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, “what plans he has to publish an impact assessment of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement each quarter for 2021, with reference to (a) sectors of the economy and (b) all regions and nations of the UK”.

I was told by Treasury Minister John Glen that they do “not intend to produce an Impact Assessment … (as) ….. it would be impossible for a single model, number or scenario to capture that complexity or represent the varying impacts that will be felt across different parts of the economy”.

Today I pressed the Chancellor directly on the issue in the House of Commons, highlighting the previous impact assessment done by the Treasury and the problems since 1 January of fishing fleets grounded, manufacturers hit with extra costs, and the Dept for International Trade advising businesses to move parts of their operation to the EU to avoid problems with barriers and charges.

In his answer he sidestepped the question, just repeating the Government’s rhetoric on ‘levelling up’ without recognising how the deal was ‘levelling down’ in many regions, with businesses and jobs at risk.

Watch our exchange here.

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