By Mark Gardener-
The European Commission has expressed resigned EU Ambassador as ”knowledgeable” and ”Professional” its regret against Sir Ivan’s departure, describing him as “a very professional, very knowledgeable, while not always an easy interlocutor and diplomat who always loyally defended the interests of his government”
Labour has demanded a statement on the resignation when Parliament reconvenes next week, following its Christmas and New Year break. The government has so far declined to comment on the resignation, its focus mainly remaining on the Breit task ahead given Theresa May’s self-appointed deadline of March 2017.
However, former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith has attacked Sir Ivan’s integrity by suggesting he isn’t trustworthy. Duncan Smith added that Sir Rogers is “not irreplaceable”, adding that ”when a civil servant “starts going public”, ministers “can no longer trust that individual”.
Sir Ivan Rogers has said that Brexit could take a decade to implement, casting doubt on a process previously believed to take two years. His comments have riled leave supporters in Parliament, calling for closer scrutiny of the government’s Brexit plans. Theresa May has been facing huge adversity from EU leaders ever since her prime ministerial leadership, some critics suggesting the prime minister may have been underplaying the true scale of the challenge posed by Brexit.
May’s supporters claim some europhiles are trying to find a way back to Europe, and are using every opportunity to criticise the Brexit process. The poison of mistrust and cynicism has divided Westminster ever since the tense EU referendum that took Britain out of Europe. Sir Rogers resignation throws a number of questions open. One of which is whether Brexit poses far more problems than is currently being revealed.
Another is whether some Parliamentary europhiles are doing their best to influence public opinion against Brexit and stimulate a rebellion in Parliament that will eventually dictate how the process of Brexit eventually occurs.
Tough
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said a “tough Brexiteer” should replace Sir Ivan, while Tory MP Dominic Raab claimed Sir Ivan’s “heart hasn’t really been in Brexit”. Farage fell short of refuting Sir Rogers claim that Brexit could take 10 years to implement, a failure on his part since the claim lies at the heart of Sir Ivan Rogers resignation.
Former Foreign Office permanent secretary, Lord Ricketts, has expressed concern at the attack that has accompanied Sir Rogers resignation. He said he was “really concerned at the undertone of denigration” of Sir Ivan Rogers. He told the BBC it was vital for ministers to “stand behind” his successor.
“What surprises me is the deafening silence from ministers who should be taking to the airwaves to defend the integrity and capability of the impartial civil service.”
He added: “If the civil service is to deliver a successful Brexit negotiation, the recipe for that success is unlikely to be to starve it of resources, lack clarity of objective and be surrounded with yes men and women who will not speak truth unto power.”
Sir Ivan Rogers was appointed by the former prime minister, David Cameron in 2013, and was due to leave his post in October.
In his farewell note to fellow UK diplomats in Brussels, Sir Ivan said: “I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.
“I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them.”