Britain launches Brexit charm offensive at home and abroad to hit back at claims we’re not ready for our EU exit
Theresa May has ordered a new team in Whitehall to go to European capitals and directly explain our strategy
BRITAIN is launching a Brexit charm offensive at home and abroad to hit back at claims we're not ready for our EU exit.
Theresa May has ordered a new team in Whitehall to go to European capitals and directly explain our strategy for quitting Brussels to senior officials.
The “engagement unit” will utilise the UK’s network of ambassadors across the continent to get the Prime Minister’s message across, according to sources speaking to .
The team is reportedly drawn from David Davis’ Brexit department and Boris Johnson’s Foreign Office.
As well as trying to counter the narrative abroad that the Government is not prepared for the withdrawal negotiations, it will also focus on calming nerves at home.
One senior official told the website it follows a direct “edict” from Mrs May to increase efforts to “get the message out”.
It follows claims the EU was set to postpone Brexit talks because her Government was not ready to come to an agreement on the so-called “divorce bill”.
It came after Mr Davis was mocked for being pictured without any notes at the last round of discussions - while the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his team had reams of documents.
But the PM is seeking to change that perception ahead of a crucial European Council summit in October.
This will decide if the talks over our future partnership can go on – or if the issues over the bill, or one of the other stumbling blocks such as citizens’ rights and the Irish border, see them stall.
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The new Whitehall unit will ensure ambassadors and their teams are given the power to reach out to their opposite numbers, after an official told Politico they been underused in the Brexit process so far.
Speaking on condition of anonymity they said: “Ambassadors know who to talk to and how to talk to them, but they have been a relatively untapped resource.
“They can have more influence than an opinion piece by a minister in a newspaper.”
And they will have more ammunition to use once the UK publishes up to a dozen position papers this month – which will set out our stance on some crucial aspects of our exit plan.
In response, a spokesperson from the Department for Exiting the European Union said: “As we approach the next stage of negotiations — discussing our future relationship with the EU once we’ve left — we want to ramp up the communications work, campaigns and stakeholder engagement that will enable the government to communicate its messages effectively in EU member states as well as at home.
“Staff from DExEU and FCO are working together to deliver this. This is about making the most effective use of specialist knowledge across both departments.”