Former minister hits out at 'emotionally needy' departure of EU ambassador

Theresa Villiers says Sir Ivan Rogers' farewell email was 'rambling' and unexpected

Ex-Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers (Getty Images)

A former Cabinet minister and leading Brexiteer has taken aim at Sir Ivan Rogers by calling the former EU ambassador's resignation email "emotionally needy".,

Sir Ivan urged his colleagues in Brussels to challenge “muddled thinking and...speak truth to power” as he quit just weeks before Theresa May is due to trigger the process of leaving the union.

He added that ministers needed to hear "unvarnished" and "uncomfortable" views from Europe.

But the nature of his departure provoked ex-Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers.

"Sir Ivan was due to move on soon anyway, his successor's now been in place, his successor's been universally welcomed as an extremely able negotiator," she told Sky News.

"I thought Sir Ivan's resignation email was, I don't know, rambling, a bit emotionally needy, but not something you expect."

Sir Ivan had been expected to stay in his post until at least the end of 2017.

But clear tensions with No 10 were laid bare in mid-December when it was reported that he had warned the Government it could take 10 years to complete a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.

Foreign Office veteran Sir Tim Barrow has been drafted in to replace him.