ACCOUNTANCY firm Deloitte painted a chaotic picture at the heart of the UK Government’s Brexit negotiations yesterday in a leaked memo that was initially incorrectly attributed to the Cabinet Office.
The consultants claimed the Government had no plans, not nearly enough staff and that any chance of consensus was being damaged by a bickering cabinet and a Prime Minister unwilling to delegate.
Under the title “Brexit Update”, the document suggested it will be another six months before the Government decides what it wants to achieve from negotiations.
The November 7 memo criticised May for “drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself” and says her decision to strike a deal with car manufacturer Nissan will lead to other big companies pointing “a gun at the Government’s head”.
It stated there was no “common strategy” agreed between government departments.
“Every department has developed a ‘bottom-up’ plan of what the impact of Brexit could be and its plan to cope with the ‘worst case’.
“This falls considerably short of having a ‘Government plan for Brexit’ because it has no prioritisation and no link to the overall negotiation strategy.”
The memo also suggested that the Government does not have nearly enough officials to implement Brexit quickly, with departments developing individual plans which have resulted in “well over 500 projects”.
A spokeswoman for May denied the memo had been prepared for the Government, saying it was a speculative bid for work by Deloitte: “It’s an unsolicited document that has had nothing to do with Government at all. It was not commissioned by Government.
“I struggle to understand why such an unsolicited memo that has no credence can make front page news.”
SNP Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins said the paper, if accurate, showed exactly why the Government was refusing to give a running commentary on Brexit negotiations.
In a statement Deloitte said: “This was a note intended primarily for internal audiences. It was not commissioned by the Cabinet Office, nor any other government department, and represents a view of the task facing Whitehall. This work was conducted without access to No. 10 or input from any other government department.”
Falkirk Council leader Craig Martin at centre of Orange Order row to quit post
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here