The Government is keeping as many as 29 million workers in the dark over their future, new research has revealed.
Civil servants have made official assessments of how Brexit will hit 58 different sector of the economy - but Brexit Secretary David Davis wants to keep their findings secret as he says making them public could “undermine” talks with the EU.
Labour’s Keir Starmer, Shadow Brexit Secretary, has launched a bid to force the Government to publish the documents.
By proposing what is known as a ‘humble address’, Starmer will ask the Queen herself to order the release of the documents.
If pro-EU Tories defy Theresa May the vote will bind ministers, Labour says.
Open Britain, which is campaigning for the UK to stay in the single market, has calculated the secret documents cover 88% of the workforce.
Labour MP Seema Malhotra MP, said: “It is unclear why the Government is determined to keep 29 million British workers in the dark about the impact Brexit could have on their jobs, careers and livelihoods.
“Working people have every right to know what is going to happen in their industries and their workplaces because of Brexit.
“Ministers may not be bothered enough to read these reports but people deserve to see the facts for themselves. If these reports show that Brexit will cause real damage to our economy and our country, the public has a right to know.”
Industry Sector And Number Of People Employed
Advertising and marketing 153,000
Aerospace 230,000
Agriculture, Animal Health and Food and Drink manufacturing 850,000
Architecture 91,200
Asset Management 37,000
Audit and accounting 342,000
Automotive 814,000
Aviation 960,000
Broadcasting 77,900
Bus and coach transport 250,000
Catering: retail and wholesale 1,700,000
Chemicals 105,000
Construction and Engineering 2,900,000
Crafts 300,000
Defence 142,000
Design: product, graphic, and fashion design 180,000
Electricity market, incl. renewables 112,026
Electronics 850,000
Environmental Services: waste 357,200
Environmental Services: water 357,200
Film, TV, video, radio and photography 114,000
Fintech 61,000
Fisheries 11,800
Gambling 106,678
Gas market n/a
Higher Education 410,130
Insurance and pensions 315,000
IT, software, and computer services (incl. video games) 1,400,000
Legal Services 370,000
Life Sciences 482,000
Machinery and equipment n/a
Maritime/ports including marine equipment 113,000
Market infrastructure (financial services) n/a
Medical devices 50,000
Medical services and social care 3,000,000
Museums, galleries, and libraries 55,000
Music, performing and visual arts 84,470
Nuclear 15,500
Oil and fossil fuel production (including gas) 375,000
Payment services and systems n/a
Pharmaceuticals 53,000
Post 161,136
Professional services 1,100,000
Publishing 209,000
Rail including manufacturing 190,000
Real Estate 1,000,000
Retail 2,700,000
Retail and corporate banking 421,000
Road haulage and logistics 1,620,000
Space 38,522
Steel and other metals/commodities 230,000
Technology (ICT) 1,500,000
Telecommunications 1,500,000
Textiles and Clothing 39,000
Tourism 2,970,000
Wholesale markets and investment banking 421,000
Total 29,646,562
Starmer said: “This debate is about transparency and accountability.
“Ministers cannot keep withholding vital information from Parliament about the impact of Brexit on jobs and the economy.
“Labour recognises the importance of protecting the Government’s negotiating position with the European Union. However, that does not give Ministers the right to impose a blanket ban on publishing any information whatsoever about the economic impact of Brexit.”
Giving evidence to the House of Lords EU Committee on Tuesday, Davis said the Government’s position was backed by MPs in a Commons vote last year.
“There was a House of Commons vote in December of last year where we said that we are not required to release anything which undermines the negotiation or the national interest frankly, or the negotiating stance of the British Government,” he told peers. “That is the reasoning behind it.”