Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is to take on the UK’s negotiations with the EU after Brexit Minister Lord Frost resigned from the Government at the weekend over “concerns about the current direction of travel.”
Frost’s resignation comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the Prime Minister, after various allegations of COVID rule breaches, the loss of a formerly safe Conservative seat in the North-Shropshire by-election, and a rebellion of 99 Conservative MPs against the government’s “Plan B” to restrict the spread of COVID-19.
In an interview with the BBC, Frost said:
“If you’re a minister … you have to support the decisions of the government and I couldn’t, so that’s why I had to leave.”
In the same interview, when asked if the Prime Minister has lost his direction, Frost insisted:
“This is absolutely not about leadership this is about policy differences. I’m absolutely confident that this country has a great future under Boris Johnson’s leadership if we can get the policies right.”
Lord Frost stated that he “couldn’t support coercive policies on COVID” but that he and the Prime Minister had always agreed on policy regarding Brexit and EU negotiations.
Foreign affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, Layla Moran, commenting on the resignation, said:
“This shock resignation is a sign of the chaos and confusion at the heart of this Conservative government. The rats are fleeing Boris Johnson’s sinking ship as he lurches from crisis to crisis.”
Liz Truss will now take on Lord Frost’s former duties as Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe, while retaining her positions as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and as Minister for Women and Equalities. Liz Truss has held positions in the cabinet since 2014, previously holding roles relating to education, the environment, and international trade.
