Chris Grayling, I salute you as a titan of enterprise and innovation

Chris Grayling, I salute you as a titan of enterprise and innovation | Kevin McKenna

Does it really matter if government hands out huge contracts to ferry firms with no ferries? Of course not

The ghastly and tribal nature of modern British politics was wretchedly laid bare once more over the so-called festive period. The unfair criticism of Chris Grayling, our transport minister, over his decision to award a vital, emergency ferry contract to a firm with no boats was, I feel, disproportionate and needlessly vindictive. Grayling assured us that Seaborne Freight would be ready to provide services from the beginning of April in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The firm has been “looked at very carefully by a team of civil servants who have done due diligence on the company and reached a view they can deliver”.

Grayling rightly chided a local Conservative councillor for airing unhelpful views on the subject. Councillor Paul Messenger said of Seaborne Freight: “It has no ships and no trading history, so how can due diligence be done?” Grayling replied witheringly: “I’m not quite sure what an individual Conservative councillor would be able to tell us.” Perhaps this civic upstart felt he had at least as much knowledge of this matter as a ferry company that has neither boats nor trading history.

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from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2C5Vf0K

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