In order for the UK to remain a global player after Brexit, it must maintain good relations with Europe and create new trade deals with global powers. To this end, Theresa May has appointed David Davis as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Brexit Secretary), Liam Fox as International Trade Secretary and Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. This trio, who all campaigned for Leave, will play a major role in defining what Brexit means for the UK.
The creation of the Department for Exiting the European Union, the ‘Brexit’ department, reflects the magnitude of the task ahead. The Department will have significant responsibility for managing the transition out of the EU for all policy areas affected by EU membership.
However, the involvement of all government departments is essential for the success of Brexit. On 12th July, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) published a letter advocating for Brexit to be a “whole-of-government project.” Given the scale of the job, this is unavoidable. Davis will have to navigate his department’s relationship with the rest of Whitehall, as well as fighting an up-hill battle to secure a good deal with the remaining EU countries.
The ability to form free trade agreements across the world was frequently cited by the Leave campaign as a major economic advantage of Brexit. Now Liam Fox must deliver it. With the UK out of practice in negotiating trade agreements, Fox faces the challenge of pulling together a team with the credentials to negotiate deals across the globe. With the UK expected to formally leave the EU by 1st January 2019, and trade deals notoriously taking many years to forge, Fox also faces a battle against time.
The status of the Foreign Secretary as one of the great offices of State may be undermined by these new Brexit-inspired departments. Davis, as the lead negotiator of Brexit, will be central in determining the relationship of the UK with the EU. Fox will be a key player in the interaction of the UK with the rest of the world post-Brexit. Both of the appointments side-line the role of the Foreign Secretary. Additionally, new staff for the Brexit and the International Trade departments may be sourced from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is more than symbolic that Chevening, traditionally the Foreign Secretary’s official country house, will now be shared between Johnson, Davis and Fox.
However, Boris’ visit to Brussels shows a man determined to make his mark on retaining good UK-EU relations; a man who wants to be taken seriously in his role as Foreign Secretary. Despite concerns vented across social media that Boris is the wrong choice for Foreign Secretary, his arrival in Brussels demonstrated that he might surprise critics. As The Spectator wrote this week: “We’ve been warned that people would turn their backs on Britain now that we’re heading for the door. But instead, Boris’ arrival in Brussels has garnered the opposite effect: people are genuinely interested in what Boris has to say.”