Resignation of EU ambassador '˜body blow' to May's Brexit plans

The surprise move by Sir Ivan Rogers comes within weeks of a controversial leaked memo in which he warned that a post-Brexit trade deal could take a decade to finalise, and even then fail to get ratified.

His announcement sparked a wave of criticism towards the Government’s handling of Brexit, as well as speculation about his reasons for standing down.

But a Government spokesman said that Sir Ivan had merely “resigned a few months early” enabling a successor to be appointed before the UK invokes Article 50 by the end of March.

Sir Ivan, who had been expected to leave the post next autumn, reportedly told ministers in October that other EU members believe a trade deal with the UK may not be hammered out until the early to mid-2020s.

In a memo that was subsequently leaked, he also said European leaders believe the Brexit deal is likely to be a free trade arrangement rather than continued single market membership.

It is understood this has caused relations to strain with some members of the Government, and prompted some pro-Leave Tory MPs to label him a “gloomy pessimist”.

But responding to his resignation, a number of MPs spoke of their “alarm” at losing an experienced and influential figure so close to the start of negotiations.

Brexit select committee chairman and Leeds MP Hilary Benn called for a replacement to be found as quickly as possible.

“The Government will have to get its skates on to make sure there is a replacement in place so he or she can work with Sir Ivan in the transition,” he told the BBC.

“But the hard work is going to start very soon, because if Article 50 is triggered, as the Government says it wishes to, by the end of March, then negotiations will probably begin shortly thereafter.

“Having a handover in the middle of that... is not ideal.”

Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who worked for Sir Ivan in the 1990s, described the announcement as “a body blow to the Government’s Brexit plans”. He added that if there was any truth in reports “that he has been hounded out by hostile Brexiteers in Government” it counts as “a spectacular own goal”.

“Ivan was always punctiliously objective and rigorous in all he did and all the advice he provided,” he said. “The Government needs all the help it can get from good civil servants to deliver a workable Brexit.”

Sir Ivan’s resignation comes after his second in command in Brussels, Shan Morgan, announced in November that she will be leaving the post to be the Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary.

Ukip MEP Nigel Farage suggested the Prime Minister should welcome the news “with open arms” and use it as an opportunity appoint a “firm Brexiteer” in the position.

He added that it would be appropriate if “a lot more” British ambassadors left their positions. “The world has changed. The political establishment in this country and the diplomatic service just doesn’t accept the vote,” he said.

The cross bench peer and former head of the Treasury, Lord Macpherson, took to Twitter to lament Sir Ivan’s resignation as a “huge loss”. He also appeared to criticise the treatment of other Government officials in relation to Brexit, suggesting that senior civil servants are being kept “out of the loop”.

But a Government spokesman said Sir Ivan made the decision to quit now “to enable a successor to be appointed before the UK invokes Article 50 by the end of March”.