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Brexit Secretary David Davis has been accused of dodging scrutiny by not facing the House of Lords EU Select Committee.

He last updated peers on July 5 but refused to meet them this month or next.

When he faces them in October, four rounds of Brexit negotiations will have taken place.

Open Britain campaign supporter and Labour MP Chuka Umunna said: “It’s a sure sign the Government does not think negotiations are going well when its chief negotiator is going out of his way to avoid examination of them.

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“David Davis is clearly running scared of parliamentary scrutiny when he is ducking answering questions for more than a quarter of the year.

“With no coherent negotiating position, it’s hardly surprising that the Secretary of State wants to avoid the forensic examination by the House of Lords Select Committee.

“But the British public deserves better.

“David Davis should agree to appear before the Committee in September or quite rightly face accusations of ducking his responsibilities to our sovereign parliament.”

The Government has said it will publish papers outlining its Brexit stance.

The news came after it was revealed the government is set to publish a series of position papers outlining its stance on Brexit.

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Among them are likely to be three formal position papers, which lay the groundwork for the next negotiating round in Brussels at the end of the month which will cover:

· Proposals around issues unique to Northern Ireland and Ireland;

· Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK; and

· Confidentiality and access to official documents following the UK’s withdrawal.

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A DExEU source said: “The approaches outlined in these papers have been carefully formulated following months of work and consultation.

“We’ve been crystal clear that issues around our withdrawal and our future partnership are inextricably linked, and the negotiations so far have reinforced that view.

“These papers show we are ready to broaden out the negotiations. Businesses and citizens in the UK and EU want to see the talks progress, and move towards discussing a deal that works for both sides.”