Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been replaced as the UK's lead negotiator with the EU. Lord Frost told Mr Johnson he was leaving the cabinet last week. In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, the Brexit negotiator wrote of his concerns about the Government's current direction of travel, Lord Frost revealed his disquiet at the Government's move towards high taxes and warned Mr Johnson against coercive measures to tackle COVID-19.
While Lord Frost is well known for holding Brussels to account during the Brexit negotiations, he was also given a lesser-known role by Mr Johnson. The prime minister has appointed him as his National Security Adviser at the end of June 2020. After securing the new role, Lord Frost's appointment was criticised by Nick Thomas-Symonds. Labour s then-Shadow Home Secretary described Mr Johnson's selection as rushed and highly unusual. Mr Thomas-Symonds, now Shadow Trade Secretary, was granted an urgent question in the House of Commons after Mr Johnson announced Lord Frost's new role. JUST IN: Brexit POLL: Should Boris Johnson resign after Lord Frost's hammer blow?
The Labour politician said we are in the midst of an unprecedented international crisis. It is unusual for the Government to have proceeded in this manner, rushing through a political appointment to a critical role that needs to provide impartial expert advice. There are a number of vital questions that must be answered, such as what criteria were used to select a candidate, and what process was followed when the appointment was made. The selection of Lord Frost by Johnson was criticised by former officials over what they deemed a political choice. There were also claims that the Brexit minister, who took over his advisory role from Sir Mark Sedwill, had a lack of experience for the position.
However, Mr Johnson's spokesperson denied claims that Lord Frost would simply act as a yes man to the Prime Minister, rather than as an impartial civil servant. They said it is not unusual for ambassadors to serve as national security advisers and ambassadors to political appointees in other countries. David Frost is an ambassador. The Labour leader Keir Starmer told Sky News that it was obvious that Mr Johnson wanted to get rid of Sir Mark. He said: "Why do you do so in the middle of a crisis rather than focusing on the crisis is a question that the Prime Minister needs to answer. Article 16 is beckoning for the EU! In March of this year, Truss will be up to Brussels over the hated EU deal INSIGHT Robert Carlyle's fiery Nigel Farage clash with the Prime Minister's National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove INSIGHT Andrew Marr's fiery Nigel Farage clash after 'BBC bias' claim. After just nine months in the role, the replacement of the Brexit Minister came to an end before he took over the position full-time. The Mail on Sunday reported Lord Frost's resignation as a minister for Brexit, but he said he had left the job a week ago.