New Brexit contracts signed costing £160m

New Brexit contracts with outside consultants worth almost £160m have been signed by the government.

Many of them are due to run until April 2020, six months after the UK’s new scheduled departure date from the European Union.

Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to carry out consultancy work to prepare for Brexit.

The government said it would continue to “draw on the expert advice” of a range of specialists.

The Cabinet Office has now published a new round of contracts with consultants.

These could be worth up to a further £159m, according to the data provider Tussell.

Nine companies that were awarded contracts last year – including Deloitte and Ernst & Young – have had those extended by a year.

Another 11 firms, including smaller suppliers, have been given brand new contracts.

Redacted documents published by the government state they’re being paid between £3m and £6m each for IT, accounting and auditing work and management services, all related to Brexit.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “As a responsible government we have, and will continue to, draw on the expert advice of a range of specialists to deliver a successful and orderly exit from the EU.”