It was revealed that Lord Frost had resigned in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the weekend after raising concerns about the current direction of travel for the Government in light of Covid and warned that he had frustrations on various fronts, including Downing Street's decision to abandon the UK's red line on the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.
One EU official told the Guardian: Hopefully the new negotiator will be more pragmatic and will make good relations with the EU and its member states a priority over the pursuit of a pure, antagonistic Brexit - we are not holding our breath. David Bannerman, ex-conservative MEP for the East of England, said that Liz Truss would take a hard-line approach to the negotiations and could trigger Article 16. He said of the appointment, don't expect any weakening of the line on the Protocol. Maro efovi was her counterpart in the EU on Twitter and was noted by Ms Truss. My team and I will continue to work with the UK in the same constructive spirit on all important tasks ahead, including the Protocol on Ireland and Ireland in Northern Ireland, he said. Ms Truss will remain as Foreign Secretary and add to her list of ministerial responsibilities, including international development, women and equalities. In her extensive portfolio, political commentators have questioned how much time she will have to dedicate to negotiations. Her supporters in Whitehall will see the move as another win for Ms Truss after a year of successful trade negotiations. Can't see the poll below?
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has been the most satisfying member of the Cabinet for a total of 12 months and has been touted as a future leader of the Conservative Home League tables. Ms Truss backed Remain during the 2016 EU referendum, but she has since worked on post-Brexit trade deals as International Trade Secretary and is thought to be ideologically aligned with Lord Frost when it comes to Northern Ireland negotiations. In mid-October, ef ovi compromised with Lord Frost and agreed to cut down 80 percent of checks on goods, meaning low risk British goods, like chilled meats and medicines, could be sold in Northern Ireland without strenuous checks. He refused to budge on the powers of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland and warned that the demand could cost the nation's access to the European Single Market. Boris is warned on Frost replacement by the EU, as a furious EU chief warns.