International Trade Secretary Liam Fox | Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images Companies asked if they back Brexit when seeking government contracts Trade department wants firms to have right ‘cultural fit.’

The U.K. Department for International Trade has asked companies if they are "committed to the best possible outcome" from Brexit when applying to win government contracts, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

The department, led by Brexiteer Liam Fox, asks firms to affirm their commitment to leaving the EU in job advertisements on a government website.

Commitment to achieving the "best possible outcome" from the U.K. leaving the EU will account for 15 percent of the evaluation criteria when contracts are awarded and will help determine whether a company has the right "cultural fit."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron criticized the move, likening it to that of an Orwellian state. “The Conservative Brexit government demanding there must be a ‘cultural fit’ is straight out of the pages of '1984,'" he said, according to the Guardian.

A Department for International Trade spokesman said: "Firms are not being asked if they 'back Brexit.' It's natural for any government department to want to work with firms that are positive about and focused on whatever task it is they are being asked to do."

This article has been updated to remove a reference to the government issuing guidelines for companies.