British Foreign Minister Liz Truss was chosen on Sunday to take over post-Brexit files after the resignation of Secretary of State for Brexit David Frost at the end of a particularly trying week for Boris Johnson.
Read also Boris Johnson loses his Brexit minister
Head of British diplomacy since September, Liz Truss, 46, will lead negotiations with the European Union on the controversial protocol governing specific customs arrangements in Northern Ireland, according to a press release from the British Prime Minister.
Liz Truss enjoys strong popularity in the ranks of the conservative majority
"
Liz Truss will assume ministerial responsibility for relations with the European Union with immediate effect
", specifies the text.
European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said on Twitter that he "would
continue to cooperate with the UK in the same constructive spirit
".
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After first defending staying in the European Union during the 2016 referendum, this former Minister of Foreign Trade had changed her mind, explaining that she saw Brexit as a source of economic opportunities.
Liz Truss enjoys a strong popularity in the ranks of the conservative majority, to the point that her name regularly returns to succeed the Prime Minister.
Citing disagreements with the direction taken by Boris Johnson's government, Brexit Secretary of State David Frost tendered his resignation on Saturday evening - precipitated by his revelation in the press - amid difficult negotiations with the EU over the implementation of the Northern Irish protocol were unsuccessful.
They are due to resume in January.
Boris Johnson "
sorry
"
Two years after his electoral triumph over the promise to achieve Brexit, Boris Johnson finds himself surrounded by scandals and this week suffered a sling from his camp over measures against Covid-19, then the loss of a Conservative stronghold on the occasion of a by-election in England.
Read also In the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson weakened by an electoral slap
It is also facing a surge in Covid-19 cases, due to the Omicron variant.
In his resignation letter, David Frost cited the new restrictions to fight the coronavirus, the tax hike and the policy followed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 as the reason for his departure.
"
You know my concerns about the current direction of things,
" he wrote to Boris Johnson, stressing that, with Brexit assured, "
the challenge for the government now is to realize the opportunities it gives us.
".
Boris Johnson said he was "
sorry
" for the resignation of David Frost, expressing his gratitude for the work he has done.
Health Minister Sajid Javid told Sky News "to
understand the reasons
" which led David Frost, "
a man of principle
", to leave.
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