Bercow orders ministers to explain delay in publishing Brexit papers

Referring to last week’s unopposed opposition day vote, Speaker John Bercow said ministers were “obliged” to hand over the documents and he expected them to do so “very promptly”.

His intervention followed the publication of a letter from Mr Davis to the head of the Brexit select committee, Hilary Benn, in which the Haltemprice and Howden MP denied previous reports that his department has carried out 58 separate assessments.

He confirmed that he intends to comply with the request to release the findings, but warned it will “take time” to bring them together in an “accessible and informative” way.

Last week, a Labour motion designed to force ministers to publish the papers passed unchallenged as a result of the Government’s recent decision not to vote in opposition day debates.

At the time, there appeared to be some uncertainty about the strength of the motion to compel the Government to act, but Mr Bercow warned ministers could be found in contempt of Parliament if they do not comply.

Responding to a point of order today, he reaffirmed that the vote “obliges ministers to provide the Committee on Exiting the European Union with the impact assessments” and that this “should be done very promptly indeed”.

“Failing that, I expect ministers to explain to the House before we rise tomorrow evening why they have not provided them and when they propose to do so,” he added.

His comments came ahead of a backbench debate, led by the Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, calling for MPs to be given more time to discuss Britain’s future membership of the European Economic Area (EEA).

The Labour MP argued that in order for the UK to leave this grouping, it would have to take the further step of triggering Article 127 of the EEA Agreement .

Theresa May has previously rejected EEA membership, as it would require Britain to continue abiding by EU rules “over which we will have little influence and no vote”.

In her Florence speech, she claimed that “such a loss of democratic control could not work for the British people” and “would inevitably lead to friction”.

Later this week, Mr Davis is set to return to Brussels to for the latest round of formal Brexit negotiations with the EU.