Just in:
Coffee Chains Join Bitcoin Mania with Bold Treasury Moves // Nvidia is the dream stock of our lifetime! // ICONSIAM Showcases Thai Creativity to the World with “Lost in DOMLAND” — Reinforcing Its Role as a Must-Visit Global Art Destination // Ten Tips for a Healthy Summer Garden // Qingzhen’s Zhanjie Town Leverages Ecological Resources to Drive Industrial Upgrading and Integrate Culture and Tourism for Rural Revitalization // IIT Delhi and TeamLease EdTech Kick‑start AI for Healthcare Executive Programme // Musk Alleges Grok Was Misled and Predicts Tech Breakthroughs // Tokyo Real Estate Set for $75 Million Blockchain Shake‑Up // Results of the ixCrypto Index Series Quarterly Review (2025 Q2) & IX Digital Asset Industry Index Series Half Yearly Review (2025 1H) // UAE Hits Milestone with EU Delisting From High‑Risk Financial Watchlist // TÜV SÜD Appoints Interim Leadership Following CEO Transition // Sharjah Elevates Real‑Estate Platform with New Digital Portal // ADNOC Gas Signs $400 Million LNG Deal with SEFE // Dong Yuhui’s Fujian Journey: The Sea’s Lesson – 30% Destiny, 70% Determination // Can India Emerge As The Trusted Leader Of Global South Like Earlier Years? // BoE charts new wholesale terrain for stablecoins and tokenised assets // “Eternal City” Pompeii Exhibition Opens in Hunan, Marking New Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange // Nigeria’s Coastal Highway Passes $747 m Funding Milestone // OPEC+ Eyes Pause in Production Rises After September Surge // Anhui Unveils Teaser for 2025 World Manufacturing Convention, Extending a Global Invitation to Innovate Together //

Fears over clear-out of EU negotiators

fe1db682 d1eb 11e6 b06b 680c49b4b4c0

Even as Theresa May prepares to make a long-awaited speech on her Brexit strategy, the prime minister is facing fresh claims that her government is turning a deaf ear to news and advice on Brexit it does not want to hear.

Former civil servants expressed dismay at the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers, Britain’s EU ambassador, on Tuesday, saying the UK was losing its best negotiators with the beginning of formal talks just weeks away.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sir Simon Fraser, permanent secretary at the Foreign Office until 2015, said Sir Ivan’s departure would deprive the government of a negotiator with an vital insight on the thinking of Britain’s EU partners. He said: “It’s very important for this country to have that sort of knowledge and understanding to achieve its objectives.”

Sir Nicholas Macpherson, permanent secretary at the Treasury from 2008 to 2016, expressed the widespread fear in the civil service that Mrs May’s inner circle and Eurosceptic ministers are not prepared to listen to awkward advice on Brexit. The prime minister is expected to make a speech on her Brexit priorities in the coming days.

“I only hope Ivan’s departure is not about shooting the messenger and does not presage a Govean cull of the experts,” Lord Macpherson told the Financial Times, referring to Michael Gove’s comment that the country was tiring of experts.

In December Deloitte, the consultancy firm, agreed to suspend tendering for government business for six months after angering Mrs May when a leaked memo suggested that 30,000 civil servants would have to be hired to cope with Brexit.

Everyone knows that civil servants are being increasingly inhibited in offering objective opinion and advice to ministers

Eurosceptic Conservatives argue that Sir Ivan was a typically pessimistic Foreign Office diplomat in that he was unwilling to see the positive aspects to the UK’s departure from the EU. Mrs May’s allies dismiss claims the prime minister is not receptive to “difficult” news or advice on the subject.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative MP, said: “I think it is crucial that whoever represents us in Brussels is wholly committed to Brexit. Sadly, the impartiality of the civil service came into question during the referendum campaign, which made the position of the highly intelligent Sir Ivan difficult.”

But another well-connected Tory MP, who campaigned for Remain in the EU referendum, said Sir Ivan was “very fed up” and that the government’s preparations for Brexit were “dysfunctional”.

“We’re weeks away from triggering our exit from the EU and our top EU diplomat has resigned in frustration,” the MP said, claiming that Mrs May and Boris Johnson, foreign secretary, had fallen out and that there was no plan.

Lord Macpherson said it “beggared belief” the government had dispensed with the services of “the three best EU-qualified negotiators” that the civil service possessed, ahead of the most crucial diplomatic talks for a generation.

He was referring to Sir Ivan, EU ambassador since 2013, Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former EU ambassador who is now deputy governor of the Bank of England, and Michael Ellam, the former Treasury EU specialist, now working for HSBC.

Peter Mandelson, a leading supporter of the Open Britain campaign, said of Sir Ivan’s resignation: “Everyone knows that civil servants are being increasingly inhibited in offering objective opinion and advice to ministers.”

Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister, said: “Ivan was always punctiliously objective and rigorous in all he did and all the advice he provided. If the reports are true that he has been hounded out by hostile Brexiteers in government, it counts as a spectacular own goal.”

Via FT


Notice an issue?

Arabian Post strives to deliver the most accurate and reliable information to its readers. If you believe you have identified an error or inconsistency in this article, please don't hesitate to contact our editorial team at editor[at]thearabianpost[dot]com. We are committed to promptly addressing any concerns and ensuring the highest level of journalistic integrity.


ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Ten Tips for a Healthy Summer Garden // Dong Yuhui’s Fujian Journey: The Sea’s Lesson – 30% Destiny, 70% Determination // DNA‑Crafted Nanomachines Self‑Assemble in Water // Anhui Unveils Teaser for 2025 World Manufacturing Convention, Extending a Global Invitation to Innovate Together // Musk Alleges Grok Was Misled and Predicts Tech Breakthroughs // Nvidia is the dream stock of our lifetime! // Galaxy AI Elevates On‑Device Intelligence with Privacy at Core // Can India Emerge As The Trusted Leader Of Global South Like Earlier Years? // Air Arabia Reinitiates Sharjah–Damascus Flights // IIT Delhi and TeamLease EdTech Kick‑start AI for Healthcare Executive Programme // BoE charts new wholesale terrain for stablecoins and tokenised assets // “Eternal City” Pompeii Exhibition Opens in Hunan, Marking New Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange // BRICS Pledge Cooperation, Not Confrontation With U.S. // Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Iberdrola Back £5 Billion UK Offshore Wind Venture // Celebratory 911 Club Coupe Marks Half-Century Porsche Partnership // OPEC+ Eyes Pause in Production Rises After September Surge // Coffee Chains Join Bitcoin Mania with Bold Treasury Moves // CGTN: Beauty in diversity: How wisdom at Nishan Forum inspires global modernization // Qingzhen’s Zhanjie Town Leverages Ecological Resources to Drive Industrial Upgrading and Integrate Culture and Tourism for Rural Revitalization // Results of the ixCrypto Index Series Quarterly Review (2025 Q2) & IX Digital Asset Industry Index Series Half Yearly Review (2025 1H) //