Tag: Grayling (PR firm)

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. 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”. “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. 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.” Another said: “Grayling never has a grip on the detail, as the Seaborne mess shows. 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. 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.

The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, is no longer welcome in Calais, according to the port’s chairman, who has been angered by British plans to divert some sea traffic in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Jean-Marc Puissesseau reportedly accused the UK cabinet minister of behaving in a “completely disrespectful” manner on Tuesday. “Mr Grayling came to us in November and asked us if we would be ready. He did not tell us that he wanted to reduce the activity [at Calais]. I don’t want to see him again,” Puissesseau told the Daily Telegraph. Without contingency plans, the government fears deliveries of food and medicine could be delayed. Puissesseau has previously insisted no such disruption is likely because Calais has been planning for a no-deal Brexit for a year. Jacques Gounon, the chief executive of Eurotunnel’s parent company, has said the awarding of the ferry operator contracts was “distortionary and anti-competitive” and would be a “unilateral breach not only of the concession agreement with Eurotunnel, but more widely of existing competition and state aid law”. It has been reported that the government plans to pay a law firm £800,000 for advice in anticipation of a legal action brought by the company. Reacting to Puissesseau’s comments on Tuesday, the Labour MP and supporter of the pro-EU Best for Britain campaign, Virendra Sharma, said: “Surely this is peak Chris Grayling, only this time he’s gone international.