Conservative minister hauled before Chief Whip for suggesting Brexit could be overturned
2 min read
A government minister has been disciplined after he suggested that the Government should reconsider going ahead with Brexit if the evidence suggests it is not in "our country's best interests".
Phillip Lee was hauled before Tory Chief Whip Julian Smith after he broke ranks on Twitter last night.
He spoke out in the wake of Buzzfeed publishing leaked government analysis indicating the UK economy would suffer under any Brexit scenario.
Dr Lee tweeted: "We can't just dismiss this and move on. If there is evidence to the contrary, we need to see and consider that too."
He added: "If these figures turn out to be anywhere near right, there would be a serious question over whether a government could legitimately lead a country along a path that the evidence and rational consideration indicate would be damaging. This shows the PM's challenge."
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Dr Lee had been rebuked for going public with his concerns about the Government's approach to leaving the EU.
He said: "This was provisional data, it hadn't been signed off by ministers and it was released without our consent, and therefore Philip Lee will recognise that the analysis was initial and probably not worth commenting on.
"He has been spoken to by the Chief Whip and been reminded that it is best to air these views in private."
However, the spokesman insisted Dr Lee - who has not deleted the tweets - will not be sacked.
The row came as it emerged that the Government will not vote against a Labour bid to have the leaked analysis published in full, despite ministers insisting it is unreliable.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
