Whitehall In Whitehall both political leadership and civil service machinery have evolved rapidly. Remember the ‘Brexit Unit’? It didn’t outlast its creator (David Cameron) and instead Theresa May converted it into a new Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU), led by David Davis. She also added a new Department for International Trade, led by Liam Fox. Despite reports of a ‘turf war’ between Fox and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and the Prime Minister ‘slapping down’ Brexit ministers speaking out of turn, the new Brexit departments have started to become established. They have built up senior teams, started to acquire staff and commissioned analysis from other departments on the risks and opportunities of Brexit. But while there’s been plenty of activity across Whitehall, we still don’t have a clear idea of what kind of ‘Brexit’ the UK Government wants or when we can expect to find out. Liam Fox has talked about leaving the EU customs union, Boris Johnson has thrown around dates for triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, and Phillip Hammond has said it’s all ‘very difficult”’. What we do know is that Theresa May is clear that triggering Article 50 will ultimately be her decision. Westminster Shortly […]
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