You sense victory is on the way when your opponents begin to fall into disarray. The election result on June 8th cheered me up no end but it seems this was just the start. It appears all is not well at DEXEU, the department headed by David Davis. I first noticed this on 13th June when The Spectator carried a report of Lord Bridges resigning (HERE). He was one of the four junior ministers working under Davis.
I then learn that David Jones, one of the other ministers, was sacked a day or so before (HERE). Remember this is just a few days before negotiations are due to begin with the EU.
Lord Bridges was apparently in charge of getting the Article 50 bill through The Lords and would have taken legislation under The Great Repeal Bill through the upper chamber as well. There is speculation that he didn't relish the prospect and I suppose the new minority government, which will surely spur their Lordships on to resist, would have made his task that much harder.
Before this, DEXEU had already been hit by the exit of James Chapman who was special adviser to David Davis. He apparently left to join the private sector. Another key ally, Stewart Jackson, Davis' PPS lost his seat in the general election. And then the FT in an article yesterday titled "Ministers leave Brexit dept in signs of tension with May" report Whitehall officials are being quoted saying Lord Bridges quit on policy grounds convinced "Brexit couldn't work". It also says that Lucy Neville-Rolfe, another DEXEU staffer who was in charge of overseeing Brexit's impact on financial services in March this year, also departed abruptly on Tuesday.
What is going on?
Dominic Cummings, (see HERE) described in the FT article as the mastermind behind the leave campaign, claimed the departures were just the tip of the iceberg. He tweeted on 13th June;
Doesn't matter what ministers you shuffle in/out, when the management structure is as F** as Downing St/DEXU individuals irrelevant
Top Whitehall officials are screaming that DEXU under Heywood and DD is total shambles & disaster likely: news today just tip of the iceberg
Top Whitehall officials are screaming that DEXU under Heywood and DD is total shambles & disaster likely: news today just tip of the iceberg
If leave MPs don't assert themselves and force management changes on No 10 and DEXU Brexit talks = guaranteed debacle as I've said for a year
Now it transpires, Mrs May has appointed Steve Baker, chairman of the European Reform Group in parliament and arch Brexiteer, to replace David Jones. It almost seems she is lining up Brexiteers to fail. And, perhaps I am mistaken but, is it possible that these people who urged everyone to vote leave in the referendum are now beginning to realise what an enormous undertaking it all is and how high the risk of failure is. Let us hope so.
