British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a senior career diplomat as envoy to the European Union on Wednesday Jan 11,2017 to replace an ambassador who quit with a scathing resignation letter that exposed frustration among officials over her strategy.
Tim Barrow, political director at the Foreign Office, will take up the post next week following the abrupt departure of Ivan Rogers, who told staff in his resignation letter they should “speak the truth to those in power”.
The implicit criticism of the government’s approach in Rogers’ letter put rare strain on rules that shield the politically neutral civil service from elected leaders.
The selection of Barrow, a 30 year veteran diplomat, could disappoint some Brexit campaigners who would like to see a known eurosceptic in the post. But it could help reassure Britain’s cadre of civil servants that their expertise is still valued.
Barrow, a former ambassador to Moscow who served earlier in his career as first secretary at Britain's embassy in Brussels, is not known to have taken a strong public position on Brexit.
In a statement released by May’s Downing Street office, he said he looked forward to joining the new government department tasked with overseeing the exit from the European Union(EU), “to ensure we get the right outcome for the United Kingdom as we leave the EU”.
Downing Street described him as “a seasoned and tough negotiator, with extensive experience of securing UK objectives in Brussels”.
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