WHITEHALL’S blanket refusal to say if it has undertaken detailed analysis on the impact of Brexit on Scotland and other parts of the UK has been attacked as “idiotic”, “shambolic” and “a disgrace”.

The Department for Exiting the EU[DExEU] has argued that to confirm or deny it had undertaken such analysis could undermine the Brussels talks and provoke a "reactionary" response from stakeholders north of the border that might damage Britain’s economy.

DExEU’s refusal was in response to a Freedom of Information request made after James Chapman, the department’s former chief of staff, claimed it had carried out analysis showing Scotland and the North East of England would lose out most from Brexit.

It follows numerous attempts by MPs and campaigners to make public documents on Brexit's impact through parliamentary questions and FOI requests.

Earlier this week, Labour's David Lammy helped orchestrate a letter from more than 120 MPs urging David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, to "come clean" and publish his department’s economic analysis.

In a statement, responding to the FoI request from the Press Association, DExEU said: “In this case, the disclosure of whether information is held or not held may give insight which could in turn undermine the UK's negotiations with the EU or adversely affect the UK's national and regional interests.

"By confirming or denying whether we held this information, we could similarly impact the national and regional economies by precipitating pre-emptive and reactionary assumptions from stakeholders in the respective regions.

"This, again, may undermine the success of the bilateral negotiations and consequently damage the UK economy," it added.

Scottish Labour’s Ian Murray noted how if any UK Government report had been positive about the outcome for the UK post Brexit, then it would have been published.

“Their response to the FoI request is as astonishing as it is embarrassing. They just can’t admit that they don’t know what they are doing,” declared the MP for Edinburgh South.

Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrats’ Scotland spokeswoman, was equally critical, saying: "This response is both idiotic and offensive. It's clear they either have a response and do not want the people to know it or they simply haven't bothered. Neither is good enough.

"It's time Brexiteers came clean with the people, the people of Scotland in particular in this case, and told us all exactly what we are up against,” declared the Edinburgh West MP.

Peter Grant, the SNP’s Europe spokesperson, said: "Behind this Whitehall gobbledegook lies the clear implication that the UK Government knows that their deeply damaging Brexit will have a substantial impact on jobs and living standards in Scotland and they are desperately trying to conceal this.”

The Glenrothes MP said evidence was mounting every day of the serious damage that Brexit is set to do to Scotland’s economy, pointing out how the Fraser of Allander institute had estimated that a hard Brexit could cost 80,000 jobs in Scotland by 2030.

“Separate research found that Aberdeen and Edinburgh will be two of the cities hardest hit by Brexit and that nearly a quarter of manufacturers in Scotland have lost or are at risk of losing jobs due to Brexit,” noted Mr Grant.

“It’s a safe bet that if the UK Government’s analysis had shown any benefits at all for Scotland, they would have trumpeted it from the rooftops.”

Francis Grove-White, Deputy Director of Open Britain, which campaigns for close ties with the EU, said: "The Brexit Department's refusal to provide this information is disgraceful. It makes a mockery of the Freedom of Information rules which David Davis used to champion.

"If the Government holds analysis of the impact of Brexit on the regions and nations of our country, they have a duty to publish it. All people, from John O'Groats to Land's End, have a right to know how Brexit may harm their local communities," he added.