The news that David Frost is to be a Minister of State in the Cabinet Office and full member of cabinet has set the cat among the pigeons in Westminster this evening. The UK’s lead Brexit negotiator had previously been lined up to be national security adviser. However, it was eventually decided that he did not have the right experience to take on the role and he was instead appointed as Johnson’s representative on Brexit and International Policy.
That Frost is to join the cabinet is a significant promotion — and it’s a promotion that is already causing ripples across government with various briefings doing the rounds on reported unrest in Downing Street. So, what’s going on? Coffee House understands that Frost’s planned appointment as national security adviser was met with resistance from the civil service with officials arguing he was not qualified enough.
While he is said to have taken this on the chin and accepted his new role, problems soon emerged — it was hard for a figure who was not a minister to give instructions to the civil service. Frost was also keen to only report to the Prime Minister. When Baroness Finn was appointed as deputy chief of staff and former Michael Gove adviser Henry Newman made a senior No. 10 adviser on Friday, it was a trigger. The pair are not only close allies of Gove but also in the social set of Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds.
Frost is understood to have pushed for clarification on his roles as concerns grew over a difference of approach between himself and Gove on how to handle the EU. Where Gove and his team are keen to adopt a diplomatic approach on the basis that honey catches more flies than vinegar, Frost is more confrontational. Meanwhile, allies of Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab suggest there is unhappiness over the move which could take away power from the Foreign Office.
Comments