Brexit adviser David Frost to lead UK trade negotiations with EU
Boris Johnson has appointed David Frost, his chief Europe adviser, to lead trade negotiations with the EU on his behalf, with no apparent role for Liz Truss, the trade secretary.
Frost will be the direct counterpart of Michel Barnier, the EU’s negotiator for the future relationship, with civil servant deputies from the Foreign Office and Treasury.
Does 31 January change anything?
Friday will mark the start of what is likely to be an uphill battle to get a trade deal done by the end of the year, not to mention all the non-trade issues that must also be resolved including security and intelligence cooperation, fisheries, data, education and research collaboration.
Although everyday life will remain the same and the UK will remain in the single market and the customs union until the end of the year as part of transition arrangements, the withdrawal agreement will be a legally binding international treaty that comes into force. It carries sanctions for any “backsliding or half measures”, as Michel Barnier’s adviser Stefaan de Rynck has pointed out.
What happens next?
We know little of the plans for the negotiations, and parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit has been restricted. The House of Lords EU committee has invited but failed to get Stephen Barclay to appear to explain the next stages, sources say.
While business has been clamouring for the government to reveal its Brexit vision beyond the joint aspiration of a tariff-free, quota-free deal, little is known about Boris Johnson’s specific goals.
When will negotiations begin?
Expect plenty of sabre-rattling on both sides, but negotiations are unlikely to begin before March. The European commission kicked off its 30-stage process in agreeing its negotiating goals before Christmas and these are expected to be signed off by member states at a meeting on 25 February.
Who will be negotiating for the UK?
David Frost, who replaced Oliver Robbins as the chief negotiator, is expected to lead a team of about 30 calling on expert knowledge from civil servants and trade experts. Some have suggested the government should hire as many as possible from the Canadian team that sealed Canada’s new deal with the EU.
What about Northern Ireland?
This remains the single most contentious part of the Brexit deal because of the checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. De Rynck said in January that the EU and the UK would have to be “very disciplined” if they were to get a new system for trading in Northern Ireland ready for 31 December.
Brussels and Irish political leaders are already alarmed by Johnson’s repeated declarations that there will be no checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea, even though some of these will be mandatory.
Helen McEntee, Ireland’s minister for European affairs has contradicted him directly, telling Sky News’s Sophy Ridge: “There will be no checks
Northern Ireland businesses have urged the government to set up a working group urgently so that the detail of the checks can be determined quickly.
Lisa O'Carroll Brexit correspondent
He will lead a 40-person task force, reporting into the Johnson’s Downing Street, now that the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) is due to shut down on 31 January.
It leaves no role for Truss amid speculation her department could be rolled into the business department as part of expected changes to machinery of government next month.
Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary, will lose his role on Friday at 11.01pm and the DExEU civil servants are being redeployed.
However, he may be handed back a job in the impending reshuffle, which is linked to changes in Whitehall departments.
There is speculation the FCO may gain control of the Department for International Development, that the Department for Trade could merge into the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and that energy could be made into an independent department again.
There are also rumours that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport could be wrapped into other departments.
