Who is Ivan Rogers? Britain’s ambassador to the EU who has resigned ahead of Brexit talks – here’s what we know
Sir Ivan is a highly-regarded diplomat who had been due to end his four-year stint in October
THE British ambassador to the EU sent shockwaves through the Brexit negotiations when he sensationally resigned - less than three months before the UK pulls the trigger to leave.
Sir Ivan Rogers unexpectedly quit just months after he sparked controversy by warning the Government that a post-Brexit trade deal could take 10 years to finalise, and even then may fail to pass approval by member states.
Who is Ivan Rogers?
Sir Ivan is a highly-regarded diplomat who had been due to end his four-year stint in October. He stepped down as London prepares to invoke Article 50, which starts a two-year countdown to Britain leaving the EU.
Earlier in his career Rogers served in the Treasury and was then went to the European Commission as Chief of Staff to Sir Leon Brittan.
In 2003 Rogers became the Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Tony Blair. In 2006 he held a series of private sector jobs before returning to Government in 2012 as the PM David Cameron's Adviser for Europe and Global Issues and the Head of the European and Global Issues Secretariat.
He became senior British diplomat to the EU in 2013.
Where does he stand on Brexit?
Critics accuse of him of being pro-EU, but European diplomatic sources defend him as a realist.
In his resignation letter he hit out at the "ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking" of politicians.
In a lengthy farewell email to his staff, obtained by The Times and the BBC, Sir Ivan said civil servants still do not know the Government's Brexit priorities and "serious negotiating experience is in short supply in Whitehall" - unlike in Brussels.
"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," Rogers said in the note.
"We do not yet know what the government will set as negotiating objectives for the UK's relationship with the EU after exit," Rogers said.
What have politicians said about him?
Sir Ivan spent most of his term trying to negotiate a new deal with the EU under David Cameron, but was accused of being “out of his comfort zone” once the UK had voted for Brexit.
Former Tory Minister Dominic Raab said Sir Ivan was “scarred by his own pessimistic advice in the past”.
The prominent Leave supporter welcomed Sir Ivan’s decision to resign, telling The Sun: “He didn’t exactly hide the fact that his heart wasn’t in Brexit, and he was due to step down in the autumn anyway.”
He added: “Sir Ivan is a distinguished diplomat with a long record of public service,” but claimed “it makes sense all round to give the Ambassador who will see the negotiations through some lead time.”
Sir Ivan Rogers was targeted by furious David Cameron aides in the fallout of the ex-PM's resignation.
Former No10 staff heaped blame on him for hampering their renegotiation efforts last year.
Stinging criticism of Sir Ivan was included in Brexit book "All Out War" by Tim Shipman, who wrote:
"We were too beholden to Tom Scholar and Ivan Rogers,’ one Cameron adviser said.
"They were status quo.
"They were happy to take “No” for an answer, happy to believe things weren’t possible when they could be possible. I’ve lost count of the number of times Ivan threatened to resign."
"The politicos say Rogers was aggressive in dismissing their arguments, and went over their heads to Cameron: 'He would send emails that were the stuff of legend, saying why didn’t we know anything? We were just politicos, we didn’t understand.'
"Another aide said Roger's emails were 'notorious'."
But fellow Tory MP Nicholas Soames called news of the resignation a “bad day”.
The Tory grandee said: “It’s a great shame, in my view, that someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Sir Ivan felt that he had to leave.
“”I think it’s bad news and I hope that he will be promptly and swiftly replaced with someone of equal calibre, but they don’t grow on trees, and his experience doesn’t grow on trees, and I think our efforts will be the poorer without him.
A former boss of the Treasury blasted the “amateurism” of letting Sir Ivan leave.
Ex-Permanent Secretary Lord Macpherson also hit out at the “wilful and total destruction of EU expertise” across Whitehall.
Who will replace Ivan Rogers?
Here are some of the runners and riders tipped to take over as UK Permanent Representative to the European Union:
- Sir John Cunliffe, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England for Financial Stability: It would be a case of deja vu for Sir John, who was Sir Ivan's predecessor at "UKRep" until his move to the BoE in 2013. Nonetheless some speculate he could return to Brussels where his experience and address book would be welcome.
- Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury: David Cameron's chief adviser during his re-negotiation of Britain's membership of the EU, Mr Scholar has experience of advising on some of the "biggest challenges facing the country in recent years" - according to former chancellor George Osborne.
- Alex Ellis, former UK ambassador to Brazil. After more than three years in charge of the British mission in Brazil Mr Ellis was appointed director general of the Department for Exiting the European Union in November. He is due to take up the post in January, when he will take on responsibility for the negotiation strategy and for relations with EU member states and institutions.
- Michael Ellam, a managing director at HSBC: The former director of communications for Gordon Brown also worked for David Cameron as a senior civil servant at the Treasury.
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