Fresh Cabinet splits as Greg Clark takes swipe at Hunt and Johnson over Airbus Brexit warning
3 min read
Cabinet splits have been laid bare once again as Business Secretary Greg Clark took a swipe at two of his colleagues over their response to business warnings about Brexit.
He said big employers were “entitled to be listened to with respect” after aerospace giant Airbus said the uncertainty over Britain's future relationship with the EU may force it to move its operations elsewhere.
Mr Clark's comments were a clear rebuke for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who have both dismissed the concerns of big business in recent days.
Mr Hunt said it was “completely inappropriate” for Airbus to raise concerns about the Brexit process and warned such interventions could end in “absolute disaster”.
And Mr Johnson meanwhile was said to have declared “f*** business” when asked about firms' fears over Brexit at a Foreign Office reception last week.
In the Commons, Mr Clark told MPs that the warnings from Airbus were "completely consistent" with what other firms have been saying.
"Any country and any industry that supports the livelihoods of so many people in this country is entitled to be listened to with respect," he told MPs in the Commons.
"The Govermment has been clear that we are determined to seek a deal with the EU that meets the needs of our aerospace firms and the thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on them."
Defence Minister Guto Bebb meanwhile said yesterday: "The dismissive attitudes shown towards our business community by senior Cabinet ministers is both unworthy and inflammatory."
Aerospace giant Airbus said on Friday that it was poised to quit the UK if the Government fails to build a firmer picture about the business landscape after brexit.
It was echoed by car manufacturer BMW, which said it would have to rethink its strategy if clarity does not come soon.
But Mr Hunt told the BBC Andrew Marr show yesterday: “It’s completely inappropriate for businesses to be making these kinds of threats...
“We are in an absolutely critical moment in the Brexit discussions and what that means is that we need to get behind Theresa May to deliver the best possible Brexit: a clean Brexit."
He argued firms wanted "clarity and certainty", and he added: "The more we undermine Theresa May, the more likely we are to end up with a fudge, which would be an absolute disaster for everyone.”
The Conservatives' Welsh Assembly leader Andrew RT Davies also dismissed Airbus's warnings as "hyperbole".
A Downing Street spokesperson said today: "Business engagement is an important part of the Brexit process, but we are working to ensure that we get a deal that all parts of the country, including business, are able to support.
"The PM has held a series of engagements with business in private where they have been able to have full and frank conversations about the future.
"If individuals or companies wish to make their views in public, that's a matter for them."
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