UK minister defends giving Brexit ferry contract to company with no ships
London — Britain’s transport minister has defended awarding a £14m contract for shipping goods after Brexit to a new ferry company that owns no ships. The government last week awarded three contracts to charter extra ferries to ease congestion if the UK fails to secure a trade deal before leaving the EU in March. The smallest contract was won by Seaborne Freight, a British business that has never previously operated a ferry route, raising concerns about whether the new service would be ready. “I make no apologies for supporting a new British business,” transport minister Chris Grayling told BBC radio on Wednesday. “We have looked very carefully at this business. We have put in place a tight contract to make sure they can deliver for us.” He added that he believed Channel ports would be able “to operate normally in all Brexit circumstances”. But the UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, and the risk of a no-deal Brexit is growing — a nightmarish prospect for many businesses, which a...
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