Nigel Farage backed for top Brussels role after Britain's EU ambassador QUITS
NIGEL FARAGE has been backed for a top diplomatic role following the shock resignation of Britain's ambassador to the European Union (EU).
Hilary Benn: There'd been tension between Rogers & No.10
Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK’s man in Brussels, unexpectedly quit his role yesterday - just weeks after he sparked a furious row with Brexit supporters.
The senior civil servant would have been expected to play a leading role in Britain's upcoming EU divorce talks, due to begin when Theresa May triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March.
Last month, Sir Ivan was accused of “Brexit obstruction” after it emerged he had warned ministers it could take up to 10 years for the UK to complete a trade agreement with the EU.
At the time the Government insisted Sir Ivan, who oversaw David Cameron’s failed bid to renegotiate Britain’s EU relationship, was merely passing on the view from Brussels.
Chancellor Philip Hammond dismissed the suggestion it could take until the mid-2020s to finalise a new EU trade deal.
Amid the row former Ukip leader Nigel Farage called for a clear-out at the Foreign Office ahead of EU divorce talks.
Tory MP and leading Brexit campaigner Dominic Raab dismissed Sir Ivan as “the diplomat who persuaded David Cameron to dilute his ambitions” for EU reform.
Mr Farage repeated his call for a Whitehall shake-up in the wake of Sir Ivan's resignation.
He said: "I welcome the resignation of UK ambassador to Brussels, Ivan Rogers. The Foreign Office needs a complete clear out."
Sir Ivan's resignation sparked immediate calls for Mr Farage to be handed the role.
Gerard Batten MEP, Ukip's Brexit spokesman, said: “Perhaps Nigel Farage would consider taking up the post?
"After all he ably demonstrated in the referendum campaign that he knows more about the EU than any other British politician, and he can be relied upon to defend Britain’s interests.”
But, Mr Farage played down the chances of him being handed the job by the Prime Minister.
The former Ukip leader said: "That's very sweet of him. It would be lots of fun, but it's never going to happen."
It's time now for someone who is optimistic about the future that lies ahead for Brexit Britain.
Sir Ivan, who was knighted by Mr Cameron last year, had originally been due to leave his £170,000-a-year post in November.
A Government spokesperson said: "Sir Ivan Rogers has resigned a few months early as UK Permanent Representative to the European Union.
"Sir Ivan has taken this decision now to enable a successor to be appointed before the UK invokes Article 50 by the end of March.
"We are grateful for his work and commitment over the last three years".
During a long career in Whitehall, Sir Ivan had previously served as Principal Private Secretary to ex-prime minister Tony Blair before becoming a Europe advisor to Mr Cameron.
I welcome the resignation of UK ambassador to Brussels, Ivan Rogers. The Foreign Office needs a complete clear out.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) January 3, 2017
Reacting to Sir Ivan’s surprise resignation, major Brexit donor Arron Banks, chairman of Leave.EU, said: "This is a man who claimed it could take up to 10 years to agree a Brexit deal - he is far too much of a pessimist and yet another of the Establishment's pro-EU old guard.
“He has at least done the honourable thing in resigning.
"It's time now for someone who is optimistic about the future that lies ahead for Brexit Britain. Enough talk, we need to get on with getting out.”
Jonathan Isaby, editor of the BrexitCentral website, said: "Sir Ivan was due to leave his posting in Brussels later this year in any case; would those decrying his departure not have found it more disruptive for him to have to be replaced just a few months into the Brexit negotiations?
"Or are they simply upset at the prospect of a UK Ambassador in Brussels who accepts the referendum result and can be relied on to support the Prime Minister in delivering a successful Brexit?"
But Labour MP Hilary Benn, the chair of the House of Commons' Exiting the EU Select Committee, described Sir Ivan's departure as "not a good thing".
Veteran Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames, a Remain campaigner, described the diplomat's resignation as "really very bad news indeed", adding: "We cannot afford to lose people of this calibre and experience."
Ex-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat's EU spokesman, claimed Sir Ivan had been "hounded out by hostile Brexiteers in Government".
He said: ""It counts as a spectacular own goal.
"The Government needs all the help it can get from good civil servants to deliver a workable Brexit."