Government confirms new ambassador amid fresh calls for clarity on Brexit

Both Labour and Conservative MPs urged ministers to make an urgent statement to the House next week, as Downing Street named Foreign Office political director Sir Tim Barrow as the new representative in Brussels.

Tory MP and former health minister Alistair Burt argued the Government must “explain the facts” behind Sir Ivan’s sudden departure and find a replacement who “understands fully” what they are looking for.

While Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer pressed ministers to set out a clear timetable for publishing their Brexit strategy, in order to allay concerns about their lack of preparedness.

The cross-party calls follow the publication of an explosive resignation email from Sir Ivan, in which he hit out at the “ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking” of politicians and claimed civil servants have been left in the dark about plans for Brexit.

The outgoing ambassador also encouraged his staff to “never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power” and to support eachother “in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them”.

The tirade sparked a backlash from a number of high-profile leave campaigners, many of whom have reportedly criticised Sir Ivan in the past for his “pessimistic” views on Brexit.

Former DWP Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused the diplomat of “sour grapes”, suggesting he had undermined his position by “going public” too often. While the former justice minister Dominic Raab claimed Sir Ivan’s “heart hasn’t really been in Brexit” and his resignation will be “quietly, cautiously and respectfully welcomed at the top of Government”.

This perceived “denigration” of a civil servant by politicians drew criticism from several former Whitehall officials, including the one-time permanent secretary to the Foreign Office, Lord Ricketts.

The cross-bench peer accused MPs of attempting to “smear” Sir Ivan and “misunderstanding what civil servants are for”.

“I am really concerned about this undertone of denigration of Ivan as a person... A civil servant has got to be there to give ministers fearless, unvarnished advice,” he told reporters.

“This idea that you have got to have somebody pro-Brexit out there politicises the civil service in a way that we have never done in this country.”

The former diplomat Jonathan Powell also weighed in, as he issued a warning to the Prime Minister not to bow to pressure to hire a Brexit supporter as Sir Ivan’s replacement.

He told the BBC Today programme that appointing a “patsy” will doom Brexit negotiations to failure as ministers will be operating in a “fantasy land”.

Meanwhile, writing on the website Conservative Home, the Tory MP Alistair Burt called for a “statement and explanation” from Government in response to Sir Ivan’s “very public warning”.

He also pushed for the speedy appointment of a new ambassador “with the ability to understand fully what it is that the Government is looking for”.

His calls were echoed by Sir Keir Starmer, who said Sir Ivan’s resignation raised “a number of serious questions” about the Government’s preparations for negotiations.

The Labour MP wrote to Brexit Secretary David Davis, urging him to make a full statement to the Commons on Monday confirming the Government’s timetable to publish a plan for Brexit.

His comments came as Number 10 confirmed that Foreign Office director, Sir Tim Barrow, is in line to succeed Sir Ivan as Britain’s ambassador to the EU.

Sir Tim, who has previously served as the UK’s ambassador to Moscow and as the country’s representative to the EU Political and Security Committee, said he was “honoured to be appointed”.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “We are delighted that Tim Barrow is taking up this role. A seasoned and tough negotiator, with extensive experience of securing UK objectives in Brussels, he will bring his trademark energy and creativity to this job.”