Britain’s ambassador to the EU has unexpectedly and abruptly resigned amid tensions with Number 10, with colleagues saying he was “frustrated” that his warnings on Brexit’s complexities were being ignored.
Ivan Rogers, who has warned that leaving the EU could take many years and a post-exit soft landing might be impossible, told staff in Brussels yesterday that he would step down before Theresa May triggers the Article 50 exit clause, expected in March.
The departure of one of Britain’s most experienced EU negotiators reflected tension between Sir Ivan and the prime minister’s team, which believes that a favourable trade deal can be hammered out before the end of next year.
The move surprised Mrs May, who will set out more details of her Brexit strategy within days. Sir Ivan did not explain the reasons for the move, according to people who have seen his note to diplomatic staff.
The ambassador had become a conduit of difficult messages to Number 10, including a warning that other EU countries were unlikely to give Britain good terms on access to the EU’s single market and customs union if Mrs May insisted on limiting free movement and leaving the jurisdiction of EU courts.
Nicholas Macpherson, a former head of the UK Treasury, described the departure as “wilful and total destruction of EU expertise”. He said other top UK officials with EU experience were not directly involved in Brexit preparations.
While Sir Ivan had a longstanding relationship with Mrs May and was consulted by her on Brexit strategy, his relations with some of her team began to deteriorate in recent months.
His private warnings to Downing Street that EU partners believed a trade deal might not be agreed and ratified until the mid-2020s were leaked last month before an EU summit, prompting outrage in pro-Brexit quarters.
Mrs May left the summit without the customary press conference; the Daily Mail reported “the knives are out” for Sir Ivan over his “gloomy pessimism”.
Sir Ivan’s term in Brussels was set to end in October 2017 and the government said his decision would allow “a successor to be appointed before the UK invokes Article 50 by the end of March”.
Sir Ivan could not be reached for comment.
