UK foreign secretary Liz Truss takes charge as post-Brexit Negotiator

Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Monday took charge of the additional brief of Lead Negotiator with the European Union (EU) after Lord David Frost resigned his Brexit ministerial post amid concerns over coercive COVID lockdown measures.

Truss, who had been promoted to the post of Foreign Secretary from the Department for International Trade (DIT) earlier this year, takes over ministerial responsibility for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU with immediate effect.

Her central focus will be on finalising the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, covering rules of trade between EU member-state Ireland and bordering UK territory Northern Ireland.

The Foreign Secretary is to become lead negotiator with the EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol, following the departure of Lord Frost, Downing Street said in a ministerial appointment update.

Liz Truss will take over ministerial responsibility for the UK's relationship with the European Union with immediate effect. She will become the UK's co-chair of the Partnership Council and the Joint Committee, and will lead the ongoing negotiations to resolve the problems arising from the current operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the statement said.

Chris Heaton-Harris will become Minister of State for Europe and will deputise for the Foreign Secretary on Britain's EU Exit and the Protocol.

Pleased to be taking on responsibility for the EU negotiations and wider relationship with the excellent Chris Heaton-Harris, Truss said on Twitter.

Her predecessor Lord Frost resigned from his post over the weekend, citing concerns about the direction of travel of the Boris Johnson led UK government, including over COVID restrictions and increases to the UK's tax burden.

It came as another blow to Johnson's leadership in a week that was marred by damaging allegations of lockdown-breaching government parties and rebellion by nearly 100 Tory MPs against the government's COVID-19 Plan B restrictions to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant.

It also came in the wake of a bruising by-election defeat for the Conservative Party in a historically safe Tory seat of North Shropshire, widely seen as a referendum against Johnson's party leadership.

Truss is seen as a popular figure with Conservative Party members and is even among the contenders for party leadership. She backed the camp in favour of remaining within the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum but has since worked on post-Brexit trade deals as International Trade Secretary, including overseeing trade talks with India earlier this year.

Maros Sefcovic, the EU's lead post-Brexit negotiator, said he would "continue to cooperate with the UK in the same constructive spirit on all important tasks ahead, including the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland"

The Northern Ireland Protocol has remained a sticking point since it was struck between the UK and EU in 2019, with some businesses saying it makes it more difficult to send goods to Northern Ireland from other parts of Britain.