Former ambassador to Russia to replace Sir Ivan Rogers as UK's man in Brussels

EU flags - Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP/Press Association

Former ambassador to Russia Sir Time Barrow has been appointed to lead Brexit negotiations with the EU after the shock resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers yesterday.

Barrow has 30 years experience as a diplomat who Downing Street describes as a "tough negotiator".

He replaces Rogers, who quit his role as the UK’s Permanent Representative to the European Union yesterday, sparking a row with leading Brexit campaigners.

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It is thought Barrow was favoured by a leading advocate for Brexit, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who he currently works for as the Foreign Office's political director.

Johnson said: “Tim Barrow has been invaluable since I joined the Foreign Office in July and I want to personally thank him for his relentless energy, wise counsel and steadfast commitment. He is just the man to get the best deal for the UK and will lead UKRep with the same skill and leadership he has shown throughout his career. I wish him all the best.”

On his appointment, Sir Tim said: "I am honoured to be appointed as the UK’s Permanent Representative to the EU at this crucial time. I look forward to joining the strong leadership team at the Department for Exiting the EU and working with them and the talented staff at UKRep to ensure we get the right outcome for the United Kingdom as we leave the EU."

Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to trigger Article 50 in the next few weeks, formally kick-starting the Brexit process. In his resignation letter Rogers hit out at what he called “muddled thinking” and “ill-founded arguments” in Britain's preparation for the resultant negotiations.

Former minister and prominent Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith accused Rogers of leaking his own "sour grapes" to the press. 

However, Lord Ricketts, a former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, said Duncan Smith was "smearing" the outgoing civil servant in doing so.