Sir Keir Starmer is under fire for allowing the departure of Britain’s most senior trade negotiator who previously worked on a post-Brexit deal with Donald Trump.
Crawford Falconer has been the UK’s top trade negotiator since 2017 but will be leaving the Department for Business and Trade next month.
This is despite the US election result reviving hopes of a UK-US trade deal, which Sir Crawford attempted to secure when Mr Trump was previously in the White House.
According to The Times, Sir Crawford is leaving his role after his contract was not extended and he will not be directly replaced.
Labour will instead give more junior officials responsibility for overseeing Britain’s trade negotiations in future, the newspaper reported.
Andrew Griffith, the Tory shadow business secretary, said the decision to allow Britain’s top trade expert to leave was ‘staggering’.
He questioned whether it was ‘deliberate self-harm or merely negligence’ by the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer is under fire for allowing the departure of Britain’s most senior trade negotiator who previously worked on a post-Brexit deal with Donald Trump
The US election result has revived hopes of a UK-US trade deal, which Crawford Falconer attempted to secure when Mr Trump was previously in the White House
Sir Crawford has been the UK’s top trade negotiator since 2017 but will be leaving the Department for Business and Trade next month
‘It is staggering that at this crucial time following the US elections, the Government has dispensed with the services of its chief trade negotiator with direct experience negotiating across the Atlantic,’ Mr Griffith said.
‘It is like retiring your opening batsman on the first day of a Test match.’
The Conservative frontbencher called on the Department for Business and Trade to ‘clarify what steps they took to retain his services’.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory former business secretary, said: ‘Losing a first class trade negotiator when a trade deal with our biggest trading partner, America, is on the horizon shows how inadequate this Government is.’
Sir Crawford has spent 25 years working on trade policy and trade negotiations and was previously New Zealand’s chief trade negotiator.
He was appointed to be the UK’s chief trade negotiator when Theresa May was PM as she prepared for Britain leaving the EU and regaining control over trade policy.
Sir Crawford previously had his contract extended in 2022 and 2023.
Negotiations over a UK-US trade deal stalled when Joe Biden replaced Mr Trump as US president in 2021.
The Republican’s return to the White House has led to hopes that talks could resume, although it has been claimed Sir Keir might prioritise his ‘reset’ of post-Brexit relations with the EU rather than chase a deal with the US.
George Eustice, the Tory former environment secretary, called for Sir Crawford to be sacked in 2022 as part of his strident criticism of the UK’s trade deal with Australia.
He argued Britain gave away ‘too much’ and accused Sir Crawford of accepting concessions to Australian negotiators ‘often when they were against UK interest’.
But Kemi Badenoch, the then trade secretary and now Tory leader, fiercely defended Sir Crawford and the Australia deal.
A spokesman for the Department for Business and Trade said: ‘We would like to thank Crawford for his commitment in overseeing the UK’s trade policy and negotiations over many years.
‘His work has ensured the UK has built up the necessary experience and expertise to succeed on the world stage as a newly independent trading nation.
‘We look forward to delivering an ambitious trade agenda that boosts growth and gives British businesses access to some of the most exciting economies in the world.’
