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What's the UK Grayling affair? Eg, how do you sign a ferrydeal with firm without ships?
What I've read is v confusing, makes little sense
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Dentures fitted by one of Mrs. May's unicorn dentists.........
They surely must have gotten ideas from someone in Trump's cabinet. Many are calling for Grayling's resignation and this is not his only major screw-up with UK transport.
This article offers a fairly good explainer on the fiasco:
Government cancels Brexit ferry contract with no-ship firm
Seaborne Freight had won £13.8m contract despite never having run Channel service
Damien Gayle @damiengayle
Sat 9 Feb 2019 12.32 GMT
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/09/government-cancels-brexit-ferry-contract-with-no-ship-firm
(snips)
A controversial no-deal Brexit ferry contract awarded to a firm with no ships has been canceled by the Department for Transport after an Irish shipping firm that had been secretly backing the deal pulled out. The decision by the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, to award Seaborne Freight a contract worth £13.8m had attracted widespread criticism and ridicule.
It was one of three firms awarded contracts totaling £108m in late December to lay on additional crossings from Ramsgate to ease the pressure on Dover when Britain leaves the EU, despite the company having never run a Channel service.
It was one of three firms awarded contracts totaling £108m in late December to lay on additional crossings from Ramsgate to ease the pressure on Dover when Britain leaves the EU, despite the company having never run a Channel service.
Good article on the current row over this mess:
Seaborne ferry contract with Grayling office had no written backing
Transport department just accepted verbal ‘guarantees’ from firm with no ships, parliament watchdog told
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/13/no-written-guarantee-before-ferry-contract-awarded-says-official
(snips)
The top civil servant from Chris Grayling’s department has admitted the government did not have a written guarantee of secure financial backing before handing a £13.8m contract to a ferry company with no ships.
Bernadette Kelly, the Department for Transport’s permanent secretary, told the public accounts committee that instead officials accepted verbal guarantees from Seaborne Freight and were reassured that the firm was a “known quantity in the industry”. The DfT scrapped its contract with Seaborne, a startup company, last week after its apparent financial backer, the Irish firm Arklow Shipping, withdrew its support.
Bernadette Kelly, the Department for Transport’s permanent secretary, told the public accounts committee that instead officials accepted verbal guarantees from Seaborne Freight and were reassured that the firm was a “known quantity in the industry”. The DfT scrapped its contract with Seaborne, a startup company, last week after its apparent financial backer, the Irish firm Arklow Shipping, withdrew its support.
I have to constantly remind myself that conservatives around the globe believe no corporation can possibly do any wrong under any circumstance because they think corporations are people, and they are perfect people!.....
