Sir Jon Cunliffe’s appointment in late 2011 to run UKREP marked a break in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) lock on the position of the top man (and yes, they have all been men so far) negotiating for the UK in the European Union (EU). Sir Jon had been European and Global Issues (EGIS) adviser to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown then David Cameron, but previously spent almost all his career in the Treasury. A career diplomat he was not. Almost as soon as he arrived the briefing started – with the Treasury blamed (£) when David Cameron looked isolated at the now infamous December 2011 EU summit. Since then, though, the conclusion of a relatively successful budget deal has made the arguments for a Treasury person in Brussels look stronger. That is reinforced by the fact that the consequences for the EU of the new arrangements needed to sort out the lingering eurozone crisis will dominate Brussels attention in the coming weeks, months and probably years. The Financial Times has today (£) suggested that Sir Jon’s likely successor will be Ivan Rogers, Sir Jon’s successor in the Cabinet Office, who also started his career in the Treasury before turning to Europe and banking. Confirmation is […]

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