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Grayling grossly incompetent over Seaborne Freight contract, says Labour
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald blasts his counterpart for awarding contracts to a firm with ‘no money, no ships, no employees, and no ports’
A view of current conditions at the port of Ramsgate in Kent as preparations are made at the site for a no-deal Brexit which could see the port being used to ease the pressure on The Port of Dover

TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling was accused of “gross incompetence” today for awarding a firm with no ships or infrastructure a £13.8 million freight contract to operate in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald blasted the decision to appoint Seaborne Freight as one of three firms awarded contracts totalling £108m to make additional crossings from Ramsgate in Kent to Ostend in Belgium to ease pressure on Dover, despite it having never run a Channel service.

He told MPs the contract “is very likely unlawful and violates every current best practice guidance issued by Whitehall” as the company has “no money, no ships, no track record, no employees, no ports, one telephone line and no working website or sailing schedule.”

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