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Bloomberg
Prime Minister Theresa May is taking control over the UK’s Brexit negotiations and will direct strategy from her own office, in a move that reinforces her drive to keep close to the EU.
The pound rose on the news.
May shook up her team on Tuesday, sidelining the troublesome ministry that she created two years ago to lead the British withdrawal from the EU. It follows months of tensions between the former Brexit Secretary David Davis, who led the department until he quit this month, and May’s chief Europe adviser Oliver Robbins, who she increasingly turned to for advice.
The pro-Brexit Davis wanted a clean break from the EU and resigned in protest at May’s plan to keep EU rules for trade in goods. Robbins, meanwhile, is now more powerful than ever. While he rarely speaks in public, Robbins holds sway over policy behind the scenes. The consolidation of his influence saw sterling climb 0.3 percent and angered Brexit campaigners in May’s ruling Tory party.
“I will lead the negotiations with the European Union, with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union deputising on my behalf,†May told Parliament. The Cabinet Office, which May oversees and where Robbins works, “will have overall responsibility for the preparation and conduct of the negotiations,†she said.
May’s move came at a critical time in the negotiations. With less than three months left to finalise the UK’s divorce terms and map out the future trade agreement, progress has all but stalled as EU officials waited for the British side to spell out its detailed position.