The European commission has paid tribute to Sir Ivan Rogers after he resigned as Britain’s top diplomat to the European Union, praising him as a “very professional [and] very knowledgeable” figure in a rare public comment on national politics.
In qualified praise a day after Rogers’ resignation, the EU’s executive made clear its respect for the diplomat, as Brussels observers predicted his departure would be a loss for the UK in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
“We regret the loss of a very professional, very knowledgeable, while not always easy interlocutor and diplomat,” a commission spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Rogers’ decision came as a shock to many in Britain, but did not surprise some seasoned observers, even if many staff at the UK permanent representation to the EU had no inkling of their boss’s decision until his resignation memo landed in their inbox on the first day of the new term in Brussels.
One senior EU source said Rogers had found himself in an impossible situation: “[He] was deeply worried about the lack of preparation by the Brits and the constant underestimation in London of the difficulties and the problems [of Brexit] ... and the persistent incapacity of the May cabinet in taking a credible line.”
His departure is seen in Brussels as likely to rebound to the UK’s disadvantage. “I don’t think this is something that will strengthen the British position in these negotiations,” another diplomat said.
Tensions had risen between No 10 and the UK’s man in Brussels after the leak of a Brexit memo, where Rogers warned that finalising a trade deal could take up to a decade. He had also not held back in giving his unvarnished advice to ministers about the pitfalls awaiting the British government as it embarks on the most complex diplomatic task since the second world war.
“Contrary to the beliefs of some, free trade does not just happen when it is not thwarted by authorities,” he wrote in his resignation email to staff, where he praised speaking truth to power. “Increasing market access to other markets and consumer choice in our own, depends on the deals, multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral that we strike.”
Regarded as heresy by some Brexiteers, this is seen in Brussels as stating the obvious. “We knew the concerns he had, which are obvious,” said one EU diplomat. “Everyone knows what he put in his note. He was doing his job in warning about those hazards.”
This diplomat was unconvinced by the Foreign Office’s hasty justification of Rogers’ resignation as a routine personnel change, to clear the decks before the prime minister, Theresa May, launches formal EU exit talks under article 50. “[The resignation] is probably the result of his own warnings not being welcomed,” the EU diplomat said.
Donald Tusk, the European council president, warned in June that the UK faced seven years of uncertainty over Brexit. Rogers was picking up on this and similar warnings when he warned ministers about the potential timeframe of a free trade deal.
EU leaders, including Angela Merkel, François Hollande and the chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, have repeatedly stressed there can be no negotiations ahead of notification of article 50.
Rogers was among the first to realise the full force of this message: his attempts to start preparatory talks were consistently rebuffed by his counterparts.
But the man himself was highly regarded, seen as sceptical and a tough defender of Britain’s interests. “His ability, his seriousness, his knowledge of the EU was unanimously recognised by his counterparts,” said the EU diplomat. “His objective was clearly the UK’s interests.”
