In Contempt – Democracy in Darkness

Alex Varley-Winter announces her new Investigation into Executive Overreach in the Tumult of Brexit, and Calls out for Inside Information

Across UK parliament, MPs are demanding to know just how prepared the Government is for Brexit, particularly if we are facing a No Deal scenario, the fear of which is already sending seismic shocks across the UK’s economy, as Brexit is costing the UK least £80bn, by this week’s estimates.

Britain faces a massive leap into the unknown at the end of next month. With 35 days to go, and both Tories and Labour losing MPs to a new centrist party, scrutiny committees within parliament are urgently calling for the Government to stop keeping work that will impact so many real lives behind closed doors.

Sajid Javid’s statement that he would strip a jihadi bride of British citizenship…. also bears all the hallmarks of an arrogant, knee-jerk overreach by a government in crisis.

Byline Times is watching this battle as it unfolds. We want to have an eagle eye for where Ministers dodge MPs’ requests on crushingly urgent issues, making decisions that affect real lives behind closed doors. 

We will also probe examples of executive overreach. How the government came to award a £13.8m ferry contract to a company with no boats, Seaborne Freight, is one notable example of this executive overreach from a minority government, and we will be on the look out for others.

How the government came to award a £13.8m ferry contract to a company with no boats… is one notable example of this executive overreach from a minority government

There are wider issues of government accountability that this investigation may also touch on. Home Secretary Sajid Javid’s statement that he would strip a jihadi bride of British citizenship – without even consulting a judge first- also bears all the hallmarks of an arrogant, knee-jerk overreach by a government in crisis.

On this and other key decisions the government is remarkably hostile to Parliament’s scrutiny agenda.

For further analysis of Brexit secrecy and other examples of executive overreach across government, follow our investigation In Contempt, Democracy in Darkness. You can also send any tips or ideas to alex.v.winter@pm.me, currently tracking this issue