Europhiles have rejoiced at the hiring of Sir Olly Robbins as the most senior Foreign Office civil servant.
Robbins’ return to government further strengthens the anti-Brexit ambitions of the British government.
Under the anti-Brexit Tory PM Theresa May, Robbins led the initial exit negotiations with Brussels and became known as the “architect” of a plan designed to keep Britain closely tied to the European Union. He will now serve under David Lammy, the Labour foreign secretary, who described Tory Brexiteers as worse than Nazis and tried to overturn the 2016 referendum.
Nile Gardiner, who was an aide to Margaret Thatcher, said the appointment was another sign that Labour PM Keir Starmer could “sell Britain out to the EU,” while Tory MP Mark Francois described it as the “perfect choice if Labour wanted to rejoin the EU.”
Former Reform UK deputy leader Ben Habib said he was not surprised at Robbins’ hiring, telling europeanconservative.com that the figure “is of the same political hue as the liberal, global elite” of which Labour is a part.
Habib added that in the past, Robbins was “an impediment to the UK leaving the EU because he doesn’t believe in a sovereign United Kingdom.” Now,
With people like him in office, there is no chance of a prosperous, independent UK.
Robbins is said to have asked his EU counterpart during the Brexit negotiations, “can I become a Belgian citizen after this whole thing because I don’t think I will return [to the UK].” It is telling, then, that The Guardian described him as “David Lammy’s favoured candidate for the role.” The British Left’s favourite newspaper also celebrated that “although Robbins left the civil service in 2019” [for Goldman Sachs, and later the “secretive” Hakluyt advisory firm],
he has years of experience in international affairs and national security, which will help him navigate a complex global landscape.
Lammy confirmed the appointment on Wednesday, January 9th, saying: “I have set out from day one that I want to rewire the [Foreign Office] to act as the international delivery arm of this government’s missions.”
These include a “reset with Europe,” which could see the creation of a new freedom of movement scheme, totally undermining the largest democratic vote in British history—Brexit.
For now at least, Brussels’ fears of any residual Brexiteer proximity to the corridors of power seem unfounded.
