The Department for Work and Pensions has analysed the impact of Brexit on people in poverty, on low incomes and on benefits – but won’t publish the findings. Why not?
That is the question put by the Scottish National Party over the weekend, with a deafening silence as the DWP’s only response.
According to Welfare Weekly:
The call for the full publication of the findings comes after the Poverty Alliance used a Freedom of Information request to ask whether or not the DWP had carried out any assessments to look at the impact of different Brexit scenarios on levels of poverty and inequality in the UK, as well as analysis on the impact on low-income households, on wages, employment and costs of living.
The DWP replied to confirm that it does hold some of the analysis but that it would not publish any of the findings as it was not in the public interest to do so.
The call for the full publication of the findings comes after the Poverty Alliance used a Freedom of Information request to ask whether or not the DWP had carried out any assessments to look at the impact of different Brexit scenarios on levels of poverty and inequality in the UK, as well as analysis on the impact on low-income households, on wages, employment and costs of living.
The DWP replied to confirm that it does hold some of the analysis but that it would not publish any of the findings as it was not in the public interest to do so.
Why is it “not in the public interest”?
Neil Gray, the SNP’s Social Justice spokesperson, reckons he knows why – we have a “Tory government intent on inflicting a damaging policy no matter the price ordinary people and families will have to pay.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that a Tory Brexit will push vulnerable people across Scotland and the UK into further poverty and hardship, yet the UK government callously carries on regardless.
“People are already suffering under a decade of Tory austerity, however analysis has shown time and time again that under all Brexit scenarios, jobs will be lost, wages will be hit and people’s living standards will be harmed.”
Rather than not being in the public interest for the expected impact to be known, then, isn’t it more accurate to say that it wouldn’t be in the Tories’ interest?
We won’t know until we see the report.
So let’s have it.
Source: DWP urged to publish ‘secret’ Brexit impact analysis
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