No-deal Brexit ferries are set to cost voters nearly £100m in payouts despite never being used.
The government this year awarded tens of millions of pounds-worth of contracts to ferry companies to bring medicines and food across the Channel in case there was a no-deal Brexit.
But as Brexit was delayed, first by Theresa May and then by Boris Johnson, taxpayers have been left with a £92.9m bill to cancel the contracts.
Critics accused the government of “breathtaking” incompetence and said the debacle “encapsulates the Brexit mess perfectly”.
The prime minister’s latest delay has already cost £8m in payouts to “scale down” £87m-worth of ferry contracts the government signed just three weeks ago, despite the passing of the Benn act which made a no-deal Brexit on October 31 very unlikely.
The Department for Transport confirmed this would rise to £11.5m if the contracts are fully cancelled before the next Brexit deadline on January 31, which is likely with neither Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn campaigning in the election for no deal.
But that fee, negotiated by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, was dwarfed by the £51.4m paid out to ferry companies under his predecessor Chris Grayling.
Grayling was also ridiculed earlier this year for a botched contract with Seaborne Freight, a company which had no ships and which copied its terms and conditions from a takeaway shop.
And he was forced to settle a high court case over the ferry debacle, paying £33m to Eurotunnel which argued the freight contracts had been handed out in a “secretive” way.
“The government sold taxpayers down the river, with millions of pounds wasted on a ferry company without any ferries and the resulting fallout”
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald told HuffPost UK “The scale of the incompetence and irresponsibility of successive Conservative ministers over no deal Brexit contingency planning is simply breathtaking.
“Both Chris Grayling and Grant Shapps completely failed to fulfil their ministerial duties in terms of due diligence and basic planning leaving taxpayers on the hook for nearly £100m.
“The Conservatives handling of Brexit is damaging the British economy and these figures show that the appalling conduct of Tory ministers is making things so much worse.”
Naomi Smith, CEO of anti-Brexit campaign Best for Britain, said: “This sorry saga encapsulates the Brexit mess perfectly.
“The government sold taxpayers down the river, with millions of pounds wasted on a ferry company without any ferries and the resulting fallout.
“Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal would leave the UK up a creek without a paddle. In this upcoming election it is vital that Remainers vote tactically to throw him and his vote leave government overboard.”
A DfT spokesperson said: “As part of the government’s no-deal Brexit preparations, the freight capacity contracts were put in place to support the flow of vital medicines into the UK after October 31.
“We are continuing to prepare for all scenarios and have therefore reviewed and changed the contracts to make sure that capacity remains available from January 31 if needed.”
The government this week paused no-deal preparations and the controversial ‘Get Ready For Brexit’ on October 31 ad campaign, which have cost taxpayers billions of pounds.
The reintroduction of the Operation Brock no deal lorry park caused chaos on the M20 despite the EU delaying Brexit on the same day.