Brexit row exposes tension in UK govt, top official shifted
London says it wants to maintain existing ties with EU
One of Britain’s seniormost Brexit officials was on Monday shunted to the Cabinet Office after just over a year in the job, in what marks the latest row to hit the UK government’s divorce from the European Union.
Oliver Robbins has been moved to 10 Downing Street from the department for exiting the European Union (DexEU) to take on a new “coordinating” role, which will see him work more closely with Prime Minister
Head of Brexit department Oliver Robbins shifted to Cabinet Office as PM Theresa May’s EU adviser
Theresa May.
“In order to strengthen cross-government coordination of the next phase of negotiations with the European Union, the Prime Minister has appointed Oliver Robbins as her EU adviser in the Cabinet Office...,” a DexEU statement said.
However, the main reason behind the shift is being attributed to tensions between him and Brexit secretary David Davis.
The latest wrangles were triggered by an article by UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson reviving his claims that the country’s National Health Service would be £350 million a week richer after Brexit. While this figure has come under dispute since he first used it, his decision to re-open the debate is being widely seen as a challenge to the PM by trying to take centre-stage within the Brexit debate.
London, Sept. 18: Britain called on Monday for a new security treaty with the European Union after Brexit to try and prevent terror attacks, days after a bomb exploded on a London Underground train.
London said it wanted to maintain existing partnerships with a bespoke pact that would open the door to enhanced cooperation as terror threats evolve against British and EU citizens.
The government said it was ‘vital’ for public safety throughout Europe that Britain and the EU maintain and even enhance close collaboration after the UK leaves the bloc in March 2019.
A paper on the matter examined existing partnership agreements with countries outside the European Union but said they were not suitable because they would fall short of current capabilities.
And in the event of no deal being struck, London said it was confident that law enforcement agencies would find their own ways of working together.
“Developing a new framework to sustain this cooperation will require a shared level of ambition: the UK and the EU need to look beyond existing third country precedents,” the paper said. It said Britain should be able to reach an agreement with Europol, the EU’s criminal intelligence agency, providing the same level of cooperation as now. London is not ruling out staying inside Europol and the European Arrest Warrant system.
“The UK brings leading capabilities and expertise in security, the delivery of justice and the fight against crime and terrorism,” the paper said.
“With threats evolving faster than ever before, it is in the clear interest of all citizens that the UK and EU sustain the closest possible cooperation in tackling terrorism, organised crime and other threats to security.”
Britain has published a series of “future partnership” policy papers to try to nudge talks with the EU forward.