Tory minister Steve Baker apologises for suggesting civil servants trying to sabotage Brexit
3 min read
A government minister has apologised for suggesting that civil servants are trying to sabotage Brexit.
Steve Baker performed a humiliating climbdown amid calls for Theresa May to sack him for making the claim in the House of Commons.
Mr Baker told MPs he had heard that Treasury officials had doctored economic forecasts in an attempt to convince ministers that remaining in the customs union was the best option for the UK after Brexit.
The minister's boss, Brexit Secretary David Davis, visibly winced at the remark, which came in response to a question by Jacob Rees-Mogg, chair of the Tory backbench European Research Group.
Mr Baker said it was “essentially correct” to say he had heard the rumour from Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform think tank.
But audio of Mr Grant's remarks - which were made at last year's Conservative party conference - did not appear to support Mr Baker's version of events.
And in a statement, he said: "I did not say or imply that the Treasury had deliberately developed a model to show that all non-customs union options were bad, with the intention to influence policy."
Mr Baker - who had earlier assured Downing Street that recollection was accurate - then took to Twitter to admit he had been wrong and insist he would "clarify" his comments to the Commons.
It was the second time in 48 hours that Mr Baker has appeared to question the impartiality of government officials.
He claimed in the Commons on Tuesday that secret government analysis of the effects of Brexit had been leaked to the media in an attempt to "undermine" the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
But one senior Tory MP told PoliticsHome: "He should be composing his letter of resignation. He won't be and unless the PM sacks him it will be proof of who is running the Government - the hard Brexiteers."
Dave Penman, general secretary of the First Division Association, which represents civil servants, told PoliticsHome: "The Prime Minister should be questioning whether she has confidence in Steve Baker's ability to separate his ideological position with his responsibilities as a minister.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood appeared to take a swipe at Mr Baker on Twitter by praising the work that civil servants do to help ministers form evidence-based policy.
"Is he capable of being a minister? That's only for the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State to decide."
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