Britain is in a "spiral of ever-growing division" with a stark postcode lottery in social mobility, according to a damning report by the Social Mobility Commission today.

The report uncovers a striking geographical divide with London and its surrounding areas pulling away from the rest of the country, while many other parts of the country are being left behind.

This report talks of the UK 'being in the grip of a self-reinforcing spiral of ever growing division.'

The government urgently needs to improve social mobility for young people in rural areas, coastal towns and former industrial heartlands.

Ministers must reverse welfare cuts that are set to push millions more families into poverty, and boost school funding for disadvantaged children through the pupil premium.

Reducing regional inequality is crucial if we are to address the underlying alienation that led to the Brexit vote, and build a stronger economy.

The OECD's latest economic forecast shows the UK bucking the trend, and not in a good way.

While the global economy is expected to gain momentum next year, growth in the UK will slow further because of Brexit-related uncertainty, which will drive investment down and businesses abroad.

The OECD is particularly worried about the 'major financial stability risk' of high household debt, which is approaching pre-crisis levels.

These economic forecasts are even less flattering than those published by the OBR last week, which saw the UK's future growth downgraded by tens of billions of pounds.

These figures assume that the UK will agree to a transition period with the EU, an outcome that is looking far from certain due to the government's disastrous negotiating strategy.

As the Bank of England points out, a no-deal Brexit would mean a severe recession and a doubling of unemployment, rather than just a slowdown in growth.

To boost growth, the OECD recommends that the UK and the EU maintain the 'closest possible economic relationship'.

As the government just isn't really pushing for that, the public should be offered an exit from Brexit.

The government's refusal to publish its Brexit impact assessments is "completely untenable". Speaker John Bercow said he will respond promptly to any allegations of contempt of Parliament.

This whole farce has descended into a scene straight out of Yes Minister.

After David Davis repeatedly stated there were 57 detailed impact assessments, ministers now claim these reports never even existed in this form.

Editing these reports is a breach of the agreement reached with MPs, meaning action over contempt of Parliament now looms.

If the government really believes in its own Brexit plans, why are they so scared of publishing these reports in full?

The public deserve to know what Brexit means for their jobs, incomes and communities. They must then be offered a vote on the deal with a chance to exit from Brexit.