May risks fresh split over Brexit role for Robbins
THERESA MAY has risked a bust-up with the hardline European Research Group by refusing to make changes to her negotiating team and keeping Olly Robbins as her chief EU negotiator.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed yesterday her Civil Service team would stay the same, following reports Eurosceptics wanted several seasoned additions made.
The Sun reported Mrs May had agreed to bring in Crawford Falconer, the chief trade negotiation adviser at the Department for International Trade, and Julian Braithwaite, the UK’S permanent representative to the UN and World Trade Organisation.
But Mrs May’s spokesman said: “In terms of the Civil Service side, the team remains the same.
“The Civil Service team, which is led by Olly Robbins, remains the same.”
ERG deputy chairman Steve Baker said: “Excluding our chief trade negotiation adviser from our principal trade negotiation is a longstanding mistake which should be rectified now.”
Mr Robbins has drawn the ire of a large number of Brexiters over his handling of negotiations with Michel Barnier and his team.
In October, Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill took the unusual step of writing to The Times appealing to critics of Mr Robbins to stop “sniping” at him.
Last week former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith called for Mrs May to organise a “politically led” team to head back to Brussels.
He said Mr Falconer should be brought into the team, telling the Today programme: “As you would if you were in business or any sort of project you are doing, you always get the expert and they do the negotiations.”
Asked what this meant for Mr Robbins, he added: “I have no particular problem if Olly Robbins is still there, etcetera, my point is that they would support that process.
“But what you need is a very strong focused team now, and politically led, that’s my personal view.”