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Hapless Chris Grayling has refused to apologise for his bungled no-deal Brexit freight deals which cost the taxpayer £33 million in a legal settlement last week.

He was accused of “dodging” scrutiny as MPs said the minister had to be “dragged kicking and screaming" to the despatch box.

Mr Grayling faced shouts of "ahoy there" and "peekaboo" from opposition MPs as he arrived in the Commons.

A day earlier, he failed to appear in the chamber to answer an urgent question on the £33 million settlement, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock answering questions instead.

The payment was to settle a legal action brought by Eurotunnel after the Government awarded contracts to three ferry companies - one of which had no ships - to transport essential medical supplies from the EU if Britain leaves without a deal in place.

(Image: Reuters)

Mr Grayling insisted ten times during the debate that it had been a “collective” decision to accelerate the process of dishing out contracts for the freight routes.

And he accepted that the Government had been given legal advice that there was a “risk” in moving forward with the deals.

The Transport Secretary said he believed it was “worth the risk” to push ahead.

Urged by Labour MP Peter Kyle to apologise for the fiasco, he said: “I very much regret the fact we were taken to court - it was a risk that we acknowledged was there but I stand by the decision to make sure that we could guarantee the supply of drugs to the NHS in the event of a no-deal Brexit."

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald added: "What he is laying bare today is that advice he received, he's acted in contravention of that advice and he has lost.

(Image: Parliamentlive.tv)

“What we're asking for is not an absence of preparation for contingencies, what we're asking for is a modicum of competence and he's singularly failed."

r Grayling replied: "We did not receive legal advice saying 'do not do this', we received legal advice saying that there was a risk in taking this approach and we judged collectively across government that this was a risk that was necessary to take in the national interest."

He also told MPs: "We are working very hard to make sure that we are prepared for all eventualities, that is the responsible thing for Government to do. Sometimes you have to take some risks in doing that, but I think sensible governments take risks in the national interest.

"I and we and all of my colleagues who took this decision collectively stand by this decision, we're deeply sorry that it did not work out in the way we'd intended, but the reality is it was the right decision to take because we were putting the national interest and particularly patients in our NHS first and that, Mr Speaker, you would expect any responsible Government to do."

(Image: Parliamentlive.tv)

Mr McDonald later told the debate: "The record of this Transport Secretary is that of a departmental wrecking ball."

SNP MP Joanna Cherry added that "in any normal, healthy functioning democracy this scandal would bring the Government down".

But Tory former minister Sir Edward Leigh defended Mr Grayling, saying: "We believe that he was urging his colleagues for the last two years to make contingency planning for no-deal and he was frustrated by other people, perhaps in the Cabinet, who didn't want to do so and if mistakes have been made because these decisions have been taken at the last moment, it's not the fault of (Mr Grayling), but he's too much of a gentleman to actually argue this in his own defence."