Boris Johnson has dropped former Brexit chief negotiator David Frost as his national security adviser days before the retired diplomat was due to take up the post. Lord Frost was due to start in the new role next Monday but the job will instead go to Stephen Lovegrove, the top civil servant at the ministry of defence.
Lord Frost will take on a vaguely defined role as the prime minister’s representative on Brexit and head of a new international policy unit in Downing Street.
“I am hugely grateful to Lord Frost for his herculean efforts in securing a deal with the EU, and I am thrilled that he has agreed to be my representative for Brexit and international policy as we seize the opportunities from our departure from the EU,” Mr Johnson said.
Lord Frost's appointment as national security adviser drew protests when it was announced last August and former prime minister Theresa May asked in the House of Commons why her successor had chosen someone with no apparent experience of national security. Labour's shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said getting such a key appointment wrong offered further evidence of the prime minister's poor judgment.
‘Chaos and confusion’
“Government chaos and confusion has led to a significant delay in appointing a permanent national security adviser,” he said.
“Getting such a crucial appointment wrong, in the face of warnings, shows a worrying error of judgment by the prime minister on the crucial issue of our country’s safety. National security is Labour’s number-one priority and we will continue to put pressure on the government to get its approach to this vital issue right.”
Downing Street offered few details about Lord Frost’s new position and would not confirm what role, if any, he would play in negotiations with the EU on issues such as market access for British financial services providers. The former chief negotiator said in a statement that he was looking forward to shaping Britain’s international role after Brexit.
“I am delighted to take up this new role as the prime minister’s representative on Brexit and international policy,” he said.
National sovereignty
“With a new agreement with the EU in place, we have huge opportunities to boost our wealth and define what we stand for as a country internationally, and I very much look forward to supporting the prime minister on this.”
The trade and co-operation agreement Lord Frost negotiated with Michel Barnier last year initially won him praise from government ministers and the British press. But difficulties faced by British exporters to Europe in recent week have raised questions about the wisdom of his combative negotiating style and the focus on a strict interpretation of national sovereignty at the cost of Britain's economic interests.
An official government estimate found that up to 142,000 tonnes of food could be wasted over the next six months because of border disruption. Food minister Rebecca Pow said the figure represented a worst-case scenario and government sources said border disruption had been less than expected so far this year.
