UK Ministers accused of keeping public in the dark about 'extreme' Brexit plans
British Ministers have been accused of trying to keep people "in the dark" about their "extreme" Brexit plans in a row in the Lords over the release of economic assessment papers.
Liberal Democrat Baroness Ludford branded the British government a "serial offender when it comes to the arrogance of executive power".
The Brexit pledges were all about taking back control of Westminster sovereignty but instead ministers were "hiding" details from the British people and "keeping them in the dark about the government's extreme Brexit plans".
The reports should be published in full and not after having gone through a "Whitehall whitewash", Lady Ludford, a former MEP, told the House.
But Brexit minister Lord Callanan denied the British government was "hiding" behind any documents and insisted it had provided an "unprecedented level of information" to MPs as well as being as "open and transparent" as possible, subject only to "preserving our negotiating position".
He assured peers the House of Lords would have access to the material released to the Commons Exiting the European Union Committee.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has provided an 850-page dossier of information to the select committee outlining the economic impact on 58 different sectors of the economy following a binding vote earlier this month in the Commons, but with sensitive information withheld.
