Liam Fox’s trade department ‘struggling to meet deadlines and recruit staff’ – report
2 min read
The Department for International Trade is missing its deadlines and failing to recruit new staff, a new report has found.
According to the National Audit Office, Liam Fox’s department is also struggling to develop necessary skills among existing staff.
The report raises concerns over whether Britain is prepared to seek global trade deals after Brexit.
It states: “Delivery of the work streams will be challenging and DIT has put back some of its delivery milestones as the timetable for legislation and the overall negotiation process has moved on.”
On staff training, it suggests: “Considerable work will need to be done to build skills that have not existed in government for a generation.”
Responding to the findings, chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier said: “Failure to get the right trade deals in place from day one of Brexit could mean higher prices, lost jobs and companies going out of business.
“It is deeply worrying that the NAO’s report says DIT is already behind schedule and it is not clear how it will be able to get the negotiators it needs.
“The department urgently needs to talk to British businesses and work out how to help them secure their future after we leave the EU.”
A spokesperson for DIT said: “Overall, our plans are on track and we have met every EU exit delivery milestone to date.
“This is not slippage; we have deliberately adjusted some downstream work strands as a result of the changes to the EU exit negotiation timetable.”
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