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https://www.theguardian.com/politic...y-fiasco-seaborne-freight-transport-secretary
Brexit: sack Grayling over ferry fiasco, demand MPs
Cross-party calls for transport secretary’s dismissal follow collapse of £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight
Michael Savage, Damien Gayle and Toby Helm
Sun 10 Feb 2019 08.28 GMT First published on Sat 9 Feb 2019 22.00 GMT
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3,400
Chris Grayling arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting. Downing Street said the prime minister had full confidence in the transport secretary. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Theresa May faced cross-party calls to sack her transport secretary, Chris Grayling, last night, after the calamitous collapse of a no-deal Brexit ferry contract handed to a company with no ships.
Senior Tories said the prime minister had turned “a blind eye” to Grayling’s decision to award the £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight to run ferries between Ramsgate and Ostend, despite widespread derision and accusations that it had been awarded illegally.
The collapse of the contract comes amid growing unease in the international business community about Britain’s preparedness for a no-deal outcome, with less than 50 days until Brexit is due to take place.
Sign up to our Brexit weekly briefing
Read more
Several MPs suggested Grayling should now consider his position after his department revealed the contract had been cancelled, and Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said the saga would “just confirm the view of many that this country is in a mess”.
Anna Soubry, a former Tory business minister, said Grayling “should be quietly considering his position”.
“Chris Grayling holds a critical position in government, trying to mitigate what would be a very serious crisis for the country if we leave the European Union without a deal,” she said. “He has no grip on the very serious nature of his job. The prime minister should also be considering whether there is not someone else who could do the job better.”
Another senior Tory MP said Grayling was a “walking disaster zone”, adding: “A no-deal Brexit would be a major national crisis and stories like this suggest we have not got the people in place who are capable of responding to it.”
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Bob Kerslake, former head of the civil service. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Another said: “Grayling never has a grip on the detail, as the Seaborne mess shows. His Heathrow proposal will be just the same but way more costly. The PM just turns a blind eye, for some reason.”
Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, said: “While Theresa May needs the few friends she has right now, we cannot have this incompetent transport secretary heaping humiliation after humiliation on our country. He has to go.”
Joining the attacks, Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, said: “I very rarely call on ministers to go, but failing Grayling has made too many crass mistakes. He has already lost the confidence of the civil service as they now require a ministerial directive for the government to spend money on ferries.”
Downing Street last night said the prime minister had full confidence in Grayling.
The Department for Transport said the deal was terminated after Irish company Arklow Shipping, which had backed Seaborne, stepped away from the deal. “It became clear Seaborne would not reach its contractual requirements,” a spokeswoman said. “We have therefore decided to terminate our agreement.”
Having awarded the contract to a company without ships, the deal with Seaborne descended further into farce when it emerged the company had copied terms and conditions from what appeared to be a pizza delivery company onto its website.
Several weeks later, the transport select committee published correspondence with Grayling in which he brushed off allegations that the government may have acted illegally by failing to put the deal out to tender.
Lilian Greenwood, the committee’s Labour chair, said the government “should be embarrassed about how this tale is unfolding”. She added: “We must also remember the bigger question we raised, about whether any of the ferry contracts are legal. Grayling’s answer was inadequate and ignored the legitimate concerns.”
Lord Kerslake said “severe damage” had already been done to the UK’s international standing and influence as a result of the Brexit vote. “This appalling saga will confirm the view of many that this country is in a mess,” he said. “However committed and able civil servants are they cannot substitute for effective political leadership.”
Grayling, one of the cabinet ministers who voted for Brexit at the referendum, was defended by fellow Brexiters last night. Former Brexit secretary David Davis said: “The department was right to award this and right to take action now. The important thing is that both Calais and the department are working extremely hard to keep trade moving.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, another leading pro-Brexit Tory MP, suggested Arklow might have ended support after political pressure in Ireland.
There is increasing international business concern about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit. The Japan Business Council in Europe, a body that represents the European arms of 85 Japanese companies including Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toyota, Honda and Panasonic, said its members were preparing for the “severe consequences” of leaving the EU without a deal.
“A no-deal exit would bring severe consequences not only to our member companies directly, but also to our supply chains and customers,” said Lars Brückner and Graham Holman, joint heads of the council’s Brexit task force. “It would therefore have a series of negative impacts on the economy and citizens more broadly. JBCE member companies are speeding up and finalising contingency planning in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.
“This affects a broad range of business and support activities, including supply chain management and logistics, customs and duties, regulatory and compliance, data flows and transfer, HR and employment and finance and investment.”
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/脫歐搞烏龍-英運輸大臣出包-朝野要求下台-071208465.html
脫歐搞烏龍！英運輸大臣出包 朝野要求下台
聯合新聞網
9.4k 人追蹤
編譯田思怡╱綜合報導
2019年2月10日 下午3:12
渡輪承包商沒船 合約淪鬧劇
英國梅伊政府處理脫歐事務又出包，運輸大臣葛瑞林（Chris Grayling）把萬一無協議脫歐後的部分渡輪業務發包給一家沒有船的公司，最終被迫終止合約，英國朝野9日晚間要求首相梅伊撤換葛瑞林。
執政黨保守黨資深議員表示，雖然被嘲笑，而且被指責不合法，葛瑞林還是把1380萬英鎊（約台幣5.5億元）的合約給了Seaborne Freight公司，負責無協議脫歐後往來於英格蘭的拉姆斯蓋特（Ramsgate）與比利時的奧斯坦德（Ostend）之間的渡輪業務，而梅伊卻視若無睹。
英國運輸部表示，由於支援Seaborne Freight公司的愛爾蘭Arklow Shipping公司退出這項合約，運輸部與Seaborne Freight的合約已終止。
運輸部一名發言人說：「很明顯，Seaborne無法達到合約的要求，我們決定終止我們的協議。」
Seaborne不但沒有船，還被爆出該公司網站上的合約條款抄襲一家送披薩的公司，使運輸部的渡輪合約淪為一場鬧劇。
現在距3月29日的脫歐大限只剩不到50天，國際企業界對於英國是否已對可能發生的無協議脫歐做好準備感到憂心。
一些國會議員認為葛瑞林應考慮下台，主管公務員的前首長克爾斯拉克（Bob Kerslake）表示，這場渡輪合約鬧劇「坐實了許多人的看法，這個國家一團糟」。
另一名保守黨資深議員說，葛瑞林是「行走的災區」，「無協議脫歐將是國家的大危機，這樣的事顯示，有能力因應的人還沒有就位」。
反對黨工黨的影子運輸大臣麥唐納（Andy McDonald）表示：「雖然梅伊現在需要幾個朋友，但我們不能讓這位無能的運輸大臣使我們的國家一再蒙羞。他必須下台。」
梅伊力挺葛瑞林
首相府9日晚間表示，梅伊對葛瑞林「信心十足」。
Brexit: sack Grayling over ferry fiasco, demand MPs
Cross-party calls for transport secretary’s dismissal follow collapse of £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight
Michael Savage, Damien Gayle and Toby Helm
Sun 10 Feb 2019 08.28 GMT First published on Sat 9 Feb 2019 22.00 GMT
Shares
3,400
Chris Grayling arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting. Downing Street said the prime minister had full confidence in the transport secretary. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Theresa May faced cross-party calls to sack her transport secretary, Chris Grayling, last night, after the calamitous collapse of a no-deal Brexit ferry contract handed to a company with no ships.
Senior Tories said the prime minister had turned “a blind eye” to Grayling’s decision to award the £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight to run ferries between Ramsgate and Ostend, despite widespread derision and accusations that it had been awarded illegally.
The collapse of the contract comes amid growing unease in the international business community about Britain’s preparedness for a no-deal outcome, with less than 50 days until Brexit is due to take place.
Sign up to our Brexit weekly briefing
Read more
Several MPs suggested Grayling should now consider his position after his department revealed the contract had been cancelled, and Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, said the saga would “just confirm the view of many that this country is in a mess”.
Anna Soubry, a former Tory business minister, said Grayling “should be quietly considering his position”.
“Chris Grayling holds a critical position in government, trying to mitigate what would be a very serious crisis for the country if we leave the European Union without a deal,” she said. “He has no grip on the very serious nature of his job. The prime minister should also be considering whether there is not someone else who could do the job better.”
Another senior Tory MP said Grayling was a “walking disaster zone”, adding: “A no-deal Brexit would be a major national crisis and stories like this suggest we have not got the people in place who are capable of responding to it.”
Facebook Twitter
Bob Kerslake, former head of the civil service. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Another said: “Grayling never has a grip on the detail, as the Seaborne mess shows. His Heathrow proposal will be just the same but way more costly. The PM just turns a blind eye, for some reason.”
Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, said: “While Theresa May needs the few friends she has right now, we cannot have this incompetent transport secretary heaping humiliation after humiliation on our country. He has to go.”
Joining the attacks, Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, said: “I very rarely call on ministers to go, but failing Grayling has made too many crass mistakes. He has already lost the confidence of the civil service as they now require a ministerial directive for the government to spend money on ferries.”
Downing Street last night said the prime minister had full confidence in Grayling.
The Department for Transport said the deal was terminated after Irish company Arklow Shipping, which had backed Seaborne, stepped away from the deal. “It became clear Seaborne would not reach its contractual requirements,” a spokeswoman said. “We have therefore decided to terminate our agreement.”
Having awarded the contract to a company without ships, the deal with Seaborne descended further into farce when it emerged the company had copied terms and conditions from what appeared to be a pizza delivery company onto its website.
Several weeks later, the transport select committee published correspondence with Grayling in which he brushed off allegations that the government may have acted illegally by failing to put the deal out to tender.
Lilian Greenwood, the committee’s Labour chair, said the government “should be embarrassed about how this tale is unfolding”. She added: “We must also remember the bigger question we raised, about whether any of the ferry contracts are legal. Grayling’s answer was inadequate and ignored the legitimate concerns.”
Lord Kerslake said “severe damage” had already been done to the UK’s international standing and influence as a result of the Brexit vote. “This appalling saga will confirm the view of many that this country is in a mess,” he said. “However committed and able civil servants are they cannot substitute for effective political leadership.”
Grayling, one of the cabinet ministers who voted for Brexit at the referendum, was defended by fellow Brexiters last night. Former Brexit secretary David Davis said: “The department was right to award this and right to take action now. The important thing is that both Calais and the department are working extremely hard to keep trade moving.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg, another leading pro-Brexit Tory MP, suggested Arklow might have ended support after political pressure in Ireland.
There is increasing international business concern about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit. The Japan Business Council in Europe, a body that represents the European arms of 85 Japanese companies including Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toyota, Honda and Panasonic, said its members were preparing for the “severe consequences” of leaving the EU without a deal.
“A no-deal exit would bring severe consequences not only to our member companies directly, but also to our supply chains and customers,” said Lars Brückner and Graham Holman, joint heads of the council’s Brexit task force. “It would therefore have a series of negative impacts on the economy and citizens more broadly. JBCE member companies are speeding up and finalising contingency planning in preparation for a no-deal Brexit.
“This affects a broad range of business and support activities, including supply chain management and logistics, customs and duties, regulatory and compliance, data flows and transfer, HR and employment and finance and investment.”
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/脫歐搞烏龍-英運輸大臣出包-朝野要求下台-071208465.html
脫歐搞烏龍！英運輸大臣出包 朝野要求下台
聯合新聞網
9.4k 人追蹤
編譯田思怡╱綜合報導
2019年2月10日 下午3:12
渡輪承包商沒船 合約淪鬧劇
英國梅伊政府處理脫歐事務又出包，運輸大臣葛瑞林（Chris Grayling）把萬一無協議脫歐後的部分渡輪業務發包給一家沒有船的公司，最終被迫終止合約，英國朝野9日晚間要求首相梅伊撤換葛瑞林。
執政黨保守黨資深議員表示，雖然被嘲笑，而且被指責不合法，葛瑞林還是把1380萬英鎊（約台幣5.5億元）的合約給了Seaborne Freight公司，負責無協議脫歐後往來於英格蘭的拉姆斯蓋特（Ramsgate）與比利時的奧斯坦德（Ostend）之間的渡輪業務，而梅伊卻視若無睹。
英國運輸部表示，由於支援Seaborne Freight公司的愛爾蘭Arklow Shipping公司退出這項合約，運輸部與Seaborne Freight的合約已終止。
運輸部一名發言人說：「很明顯，Seaborne無法達到合約的要求，我們決定終止我們的協議。」
Seaborne不但沒有船，還被爆出該公司網站上的合約條款抄襲一家送披薩的公司，使運輸部的渡輪合約淪為一場鬧劇。
現在距3月29日的脫歐大限只剩不到50天，國際企業界對於英國是否已對可能發生的無協議脫歐做好準備感到憂心。
一些國會議員認為葛瑞林應考慮下台，主管公務員的前首長克爾斯拉克（Bob Kerslake）表示，這場渡輪合約鬧劇「坐實了許多人的看法，這個國家一團糟」。
另一名保守黨資深議員說，葛瑞林是「行走的災區」，「無協議脫歐將是國家的大危機，這樣的事顯示，有能力因應的人還沒有就位」。
反對黨工黨的影子運輸大臣麥唐納（Andy McDonald）表示：「雖然梅伊現在需要幾個朋友，但我們不能讓這位無能的運輸大臣使我們的國家一再蒙羞。他必須下台。」
梅伊力挺葛瑞林
首相府9日晚間表示，梅伊對葛瑞林「信心十足」。
