Ex-EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers on prowl for top Government job just days after quitting role
Senior diplomat said to be in talks with Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood about his future
BRITAIN’S former EU ambassador wants a new top mandarin’s job despite his Brussels walk out and withering blast at No10.
Sir Ivan Rogers plunged Theresa May into her first crisis of the year on Tuesday with his no-notice resignation after falling out with her aides.
But it has now emerged that he only resigned from the key Brussels post and not from the civil service.
The senior diplomat is now in talks with Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood on his future, senior government sources have revealed.
Sir Ivan holds the highest civil service grade - SMS4 - which would entitle him to become an ambassador to a major country or run a government ministry.
But a new senior posting risks infuriating Tory MPs, who have accused him of betraying Theresa May’s trust by accusing ministers of “muddled thinking” and having no Brexit plan in a departing email to Brussels staff designed to be leaked.
Tory MP Dominic Raab scoffed at Sir Ivan’s ambitions last night, saying: “I hear the consulate general’s job in Siberia is free”.
The development emerged as a former Cabinet minister mounted a new stinging attack on Sir Ivan to accuse him of being “emotionally needy”.
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers also said his 1,400 word-long departing email was “rambling” and “not something you would expect from a civil servant of that calibre”.
It also emerged last night that senior civil servants have demanded a pay rise because of the extra work demanded by delivering Brexit.
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The FDA trade union said a decade of pay restraint and staff cuts had left the civil service ‘demoralised’ at a time it faced its biggest challenge in a generation.
As the row over the government’s Brexit planning spilled into a third day yesterday, a former government trade envoy and Tory peer warned Whitehall doesn’t have the “skillset” to deliver “hard-nosed” Brexit negotiations.
Lord Marland called on ministers to “up skill in that area”.
But ex-ambassador and No10 adviser Tom Fletcher dismissed the criticism and called for an end to the “constant criticism that is out there”.
Mr Fletcher – who was David Cameron’s foreign policy chief - added: “I’m a West Ham fan, and West Ham players perform much better when they’re not being booed by their own side the whole time.
“We need to let our people get on with it now and avoid the constant second guessing and criticism.
The Foreign Office last night confirmed Sir Ivan was still a civil servant but refused to discuss any future posting.