#Brexit: UK's man in Brussels resigns

Former UK prime minister David Cameron with Sir Ivan Rogers (right), leaving the European Council

Sir Ivan Rogers, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union, has announced his resignation, writes Catherine Feore. A long-serving public servant, he was ‘our man in Brussels’ for the UK’s negotiated settlement with the EU.

Rogers recently hit the headlines when he suggested that it could take as long as ten years to negotiate a full Brexit. This was regarded as "pessimistic" by Britain’s Eurosceptic press. The most extreme and cavalier Brexiteers want to speed the process up, even in the absence of a plausible 'Plan B'.

Given the deep and longstanding relationship between the UK and the EU, it will without doubt take at least this amount of time to fully extricate the UK from the EU; but in a deeply divided 'red, white and blue' UK, where a narrow majority has claimed 'a landslide', this sort of temperate and realistic language is not welcome.

Rogers was initially appointed to the role in late 2013. He would preside over the UK’s negotiations with the EU-27 at ambassador level and would have briefed Cameron on what concessions were possible.

The UK settlement with the EU-27, which was criticized in some quarters, was negotiated on his watch. After months of intense negotiations, EU leaders finally reached a deal at the European Council in February 2016.

The agreement strengthened Britain's 'special' status in the EU. It was a legally binding and irreversible decision, adopted by all 28 leaders. While the UK achieved important concessions, it was clear that, for some, no agreement would be likely to appease the most rabidly anti-EU voices in the UK.

Tim Shipman, a former special adviser to David Cameron, said that Cameron was “too beholden to…Ivan Rogers” during negotiations. Shipman, a journalist, wanted reforms to the European Court of Justice. Rogers is supposed to have slapped down this idea, as it was a plan that would not have received a moment’s consideration by the EU-27. The story highlights Cameron’s poor choice in Shipman and Rogers' superior understanding of Europe.

Rogers has a long and distinguished career in the British civil service. However, between 2006 and 2011 he worked in the private sector as an adviser on the public service to Citigroup (2006 – 2010) and Barclays (2010 – 2011). At the time, the Corporate Europe Observatory was critical of his links to ‘big finance’: "At a time when there needs to be improved regulation of big finance at the EU level, it's pretty shocking that the new UK ambassador to the EU will be someone who, until a couple of years ago, was working for a major bank. There needs to be a far tougher approach to regulating revolving door cases, both in the UK and in Brussels too. After all, Ivan Rogers will be the most senior diplomat handling European affairs for the UK government. His move from the corporate finance sector back to government appears to have been unregulated, despite the risk that conflicts of interest could arise."

We do not know his plans, but many organizations in the UK will welcome Rogers' experience in navigating the deep and choppy waters of Brexit.

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