Brexit news: Officials plan post-Brexit overhaul for Government departments
GETTY Brexit Secretary David Davis and PM Theresa May
There are concerns that keeping DExEU open after Brexit could undermine Theresa May’s pledge to take Britain out of the bloc by 2019. One official said: “You can’t have a Department for Exiting the European Union after you’ve exited the European Union. “What message would that send? We have to give people concrete evidence that we’ve left the EU. That has to happen as soon as we’ve left.”
You can’t have a Department for Exiting the European Union after you’ve exited the European Union Whitehall official
DExEU was created by Mrs May within weeks of becoming Prime Minister in the aftermath of the June 2016 referendum. It oversees the passage of Brexit legislation through Parliament and co-ordinates with the UK’s representation in Brussels — which reports to the Foreign Office — and with the Europe unit within the Cabinet Office. Several Whitehall officials, including Downing Street advisers, believe the department should be absorbed by a beefed up Foreign Office as a way of demonstrating Britain’s departure from the EU. Others believe a simple rebranding exercise would suffice, leaving DExEU in charge of the future negotiations but under a new name. Downing Street declined to comment when asked about the proposed Whitehall reorganisation.
There are also questions about the structure of the rest of government after Brexit with some officials hoping for “a revolution in Whitehall to match the revolution at the ballot box in 2016”. One said: “When we leave the EU the exam question changes. It’s not about Leave or Remain, but what is Britain going to look like in 25 years’ time. “We have got to organise ourselves in a way which matches the challenges we face. “We’ve got to start asking how can we use the freedoms of Brexit to deliver for us?”
Brexit latest: David Davis meets EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier Mon, March 19, 2018 David Davis meets EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels ahead of a crunch meeting of European Union leaders later this week Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 10 British Brexit minister David Davis (L) and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier meet at the European Commission in Brussels