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Sir Tim Barrow appointed as Britain's EU ambassador Sir Tim Barrow appointed as Britain's EU ambassador
(about 1 hour later)
Theresa May has appointed Sir Tim Barrow, a career diplomat, as the new British ambassador to the EU in Brussels, replacing Sir Ivan Rogers who quit on Tuesday. Theresa May has appointed Sir Tim Barrow, a career diplomat, as the new British ambassador to the EU in Brussels, replacing Sir Ivan Rogers, who quit on Tuesday.
Her decision means she has ignored calls from within the Tory party to appoint a wholehearted Brexiter – possibly from outside of the civil service – to the job.Her decision means she has ignored calls from within the Tory party to appoint a wholehearted Brexiter – possibly from outside of the civil service – to the job.
Rogers, the head of UKRep – in effect the UK embassy in Brussels – resigned in frustration on Tuesday urging his fellow civil servants to provide impartial advice, and stand up to muddled thinking. He also made clear that the UK government not only lacked an agreed exit strategy, but also a coherent exit negotiating team. Rogers, the head of UKRep – in effect the UK embassy in Brussels – resigned in frustration on Tuesday urging his fellow civil servants to provide impartial advice, and stand up to muddled thinking. He also made clear he thought that the UK government not only lacked an agreed exit strategy, but also a coherent exit negotiating team.
Barrow was the UK ambassador to Moscow until 2015 and in March 2016 succeeded Sir Simon Gass as political director at the Foreign Office. He has extensive European experience and acted as first secretary at UKRep. His appointment is also a victory for the Foreign Office, which lost the UKrep post to former Treasury officials in 2012 Barrow was the UK ambassador to Moscow until 2015 and in March 2016 succeeded Sir Simon Gass as political director at the Foreign Office. He has extensive European experience and acted as first secretary at UKRep. His appointment is also a victory for the Foreign Office, which lost the UKRep post to former Treasury officials in 2012.
May is due to trigger article 50, to formally start EU talks, in March, requiring her to urgently recruit someone committed to delivering Brexit, but also knowledgeable, even expert, about how the labyrinthine EU works. May is due to trigger article 50, to formally start EU talks, in March, requiring her to urgently recruit someone committed to delivering Brexit, but also knowledgeable about how the labyrinthine EU works.
More details soon … EU sources were surprised by the speed of the decision to appoint Barrow. One said the very quick reaction revealed the pressure on the UK government – “it shows anxiety” they said. Officials checking Barrow’s CV noted his experience in Brussels covered security and foreign policy, but not many of the technical subjects that will be in play during the Brexit talks, such as financial services or free movement of people.
Barrow said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the UK’s permanent representative to the EU at this crucial time. I look forward to joining the strong leadership team at the Department for Exiting the EU and working with them and the talented staff at UKRep to ensure we get the right outcome for the United Kingdom as we leave the EU.”
A Downing Street spokesperson called Barrow “a seasoned and tough negotiator, with extensive experience of securing UK objectives in Brussels”. They added: “He will bring his trademark energy and creativity to this job, working alongside other senior officials and ministers to make a success of Brexit.”
The appointment of an ambassador is different to choosing a permanent secretary – or top civil servant – in a department, and does not require the exhaustive process of other Whitehall public appointments.
Downing Street would have been aware that Rogers was likely to stand down in the autumn and Whitehall will have been thinking of a replacement for some time.
Tom Fletcher, the former UK ambassador to Lebanon, tweeted in response: “Great news. Tenacious, human, expert, connected, thick skinned enough not to worry about nutters, and will avoid poison in the chalice.”
Barrow should also work well with the Treasury since he was appointed to his political director post by former foreign secretary Philip Hammond, now chancellor. It probably means that in the short term more of the key decisions will revert to London.
Barrow’s appointment is also likely to be seen as a vote of confidence by May in the impartiality of the civil service.
Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, was among those calling for an external appointment, and a complete clearout of the Foreign Office, claiming it was a nest of Europhiles opposed to Brexit.
Some Tories had even called for the Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan to be handed the job of negotiating the UK’s exit.
Eurosceptics have been pressing for the appointment of someone willing to consider the possibility of leaving the EU without a full deal on a future relationship with Brussels. They say they want someone who is not transfixed by the complexities of the task.
The head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, would have resisted calls for a politician to be handed the plum post, although ambassadors have occasionally been appointed from outside the core civil service network. Ed Llewellyn was, for instance, last September appointed UK ambassador to Paris after acting as David Cameron’s political aide, an appointment that, unusually, is going to be scrutinised by the foreign affairs select committee next week.
Heywood will be aware that Brexit has been putting the civil service’s reputation for impartiality under unprecedented threat.
The former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith accused Rogers of leaking against ministers and claimed he had lost the trust of Conservative politicians. There is no evidence that Rogers was responsible for the recent leaks, one of which appeared to damage his standing in Downing Street.
In that politicised context, Heywood will have known any decision by May to appoint someone from outside Whitehall would be seen as a resounding vote of no confidence in the impartiality of the civil service. There was anger in Whitehall and among former diplomats at ministers’ refusal to speak out in defence of Rogers.
But Barrow will have to race to gather knowledge not only of the thinking inside the commission negotiating team led by Michel Barnier, but also how to drive a wedge into the EU’s surface unity by locating British allies in key European capitals. It was argued, fairly or not, that Rogers would not try hard enough to insert those wedges, focusing too much on Germany and France.
Fortunately for Barrow there is a sort of political interregnum in Europe through much of this year, as elections are held in France, the Netherlands and Germany.