Theresa May was warned key parts of Brexit strategy were 'not compatible'
Sir Ivan Rogers says he delivered the warning to the PM in 2016 and that he was surprised by her negotiating red lines.
Wednesday 17 July 2019 09:20, UK
Theresa May was warned just months after entering Downing Street that the central tenets of her Brexit strategy were "not really compatible with each other", the UK's former ambassador to the EU has revealed.
Giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee about his time in the role, Sir Ivan Rogers said that in 2016 he delivered "one of the most unpopular things" he had told the prime minister.
He said he told Mrs May: "You have made three commitments in good faith to different audiences, but they are not really compatible with each other."
Sir Ivan said he then added: "You have said to the Irish... under no circumstances will a hard border be erected across the island of Ireland.
"You have said to the Democratic Unionist community that under no circumstances will there be divergence from the rest of Great Britain.
"And you have said to the right of your own party that you are heading out of the customs union.
"You can't do all three. You have got to choose two of the three."
Sir Ivan said he had given the same assessment to Tory leadership contender Boris Johnson, who was foreign secretary from 2016 to 2018.
He resigned from his role as the UK permanent representative in 2017 after clashing with ministers over Brexit.
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Brexit was the issue that saw Mrs May bring a premature end to her time in office, having failed to get a deal through three times and having sought two delays to the date of Britain's EU exit.
The backstop, an insurance policy designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, proved to be the most controversial element of the agreement.
Opponents could not stomach it, and its continued presence in the withdrawal agreement sounded the death knell for Mrs May's premiership.
Sir Ivan also told the committee that he was surprised at the negotiating stance Mrs May set out in her 2016 Conservative Party conference speech.
The PM told her party's annual gathering that she would aim to strike a deal that would give the UK control of its borders, exiting the EU's single market and customs union.
Sir Ivan said he did not get "any sight" of the speech in advance, despite seeing previous conference speeches.
"I didn't see the speech. I, of course, thought the moment I did see it, 'Blimey, that's going to elicit quite a reaction in Brussels,'" he said.
"I did talk to Jeremy Heywood (then cabinet secretary) and say, 'Did you see the speech, it's a bit puzzling that we suddenly get landed with this and red lines which are really going to take people by surprise in Brussels', and he said he hadn't seen it."