UK pays Eurotunnel 33 million pounds over 'secretive' no-deal Brexit ferry contracts

[Denzil_DC]

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has paid out 33 million pounds to settle a claim with Eurotunnel which runs the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France after the firm took legal action over the process to award ferry contracts to cope with a no-deal Brexit.

Eurotunnel had begun court action after the Department for Transport contracted ferry companies in December to ensure supplies to the state-run National Health Service (NHS) and other critical imports should Britain leave the European Union on March 29 without a deal.

One of the companies awarded a contract was Seaborne Freight, a decision that provoked criticism as the company did not have any ships and the deal was subsequently terminated last month.

In a statement, the British government said it had reached agreement with Eurotunnel, whose holding company is Getlink, to settle the case and ensure the Channel Tunnel would continue to keep passengers and freight moving after Brexit.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-eurotunnel-idUKKCN1QI4BR

Oh well, it's only money. Another shake of the tree will put it right.

So yet more time and money wasted, and no new ferry operator to help take the strain.

On the brighter side, the government's plan to waive customs checks on most goods for three months in the event of a no-deal Brexit will open up major opportunities for entrepreneurs in the informal economy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Grayling, of course. And he was in charge when the Probation privatisation was done

Failings by the Ministry of Justice in the part-privatisation of probation services have been “extremely costly” for taxpayers, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said.

A review of Chris Grayling’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme, published on Friday, added that the number of people on short sentences recalled to jail had soared and the termination of contracts with private probation companies would cost at least £171m.

There has been a 2.5% reduction in the proportion of offenders proven to have committed another crime between 2011 and March 2017. However, the number of offences per reoffender has increased by 22%.

In 2013, the programme was launched by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under Grayling, who was then the justice secretary, with the aim of cutting reoffending rates in England and Wales and reducing costs.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/01/watchdog-slams-extremely-costly-probation-changes

He must the most incompetent minister we've had for decades - who's stayed in the government, anyway. Can't we give him Trump? He'd fit right in with his crew.

[Denzil_DC]

2. Perhaps we can nominate him to lead the Leave campaign

if we have another referendum?

[Denzil_DC]

3. Guardian story with fuller background:

Grayling under pressure to quit over Brexit ferry fiasco

...

Grayling was being sued by Eurotunnel for allegedly breaching public procurement rules over its contract with Seaborne and two other ferry firms to provide freight capacity for emergency medical supplies in the event of no deal.

...

Grayling was accused on Monday of trying to conduct large parts of the trial in private, against the principle of open justice. The high court judge ordered Grayling to return by the close of business on Thursday with justification for keeping up to 10,000 documents relating to the contracts private.

It is believed the case was settled out of court on Thursday afternoon and all files now remain sealed and unavailable for press or public scrutiny.

...

Downing Street said the decision to settle out of court was a “cross-government decision” and had been taken “to ensure that vital goods would not be put into jeopardy in a no-deal scenario”. The settlement “allows us to continue at the job at hand”, including implementing measures to ease pressure at the border with France in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the spokesman said.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/01/grayling-reaches-33m-settlement-over-brexit-ferry-fiasco-court-case-eurotunnel