Top Brexit official moves to role with Theresa May
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Version 0 of 4. The UK’s most senior Brexit official has been moved from David Davis’s department and into a new role advising Theresa May on talks with the EU. Oliver Robbins, who leads the UK negotiating team, will be replaced as permanent secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU), as he moves to the Cabinet Office. The reshuffle at the top of Whitehall comes after reported tensions between Robbins and Davis, the Brexit secretary. It also appears to be a sign that the prime minister is taking greater control over the negotiations, which have been dominated by Davis and his department. Robbins will remain the most senior official on the UK negotiating team, while Philip Rycroft, his former deputy, will take over as permanent secretary at DExEU. A government spokesman said: “In order to strengthen cross-government coordination of the next phase of negotiations with the European Union, the prime minister has appointed Oliver Robbins as her EU adviser in the Cabinet Office, in addition to his role as EU sherpa. “He will continue to lead the official-side UK team in the negotiations, working closely with the secretary of state for exiting the European Union, and coordinate relations with the commission and member states.“[DExEU] will continue to support David Davis, the secretary of state for exiting the EU, to ensure a smooth exit and to seize the opportunities presented by leaving the EU. “This will include his role as principal of the negotiations, leading on exit-related legislation, domestic preparedness for exit and engagement with stakeholders in the UK, including the devolved administrations, and in the EU27 and beyond.” |