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Lord Frost led the UK’s successful Brexit negotiating team with the EU which resulted in Boris Johnson’s new trade agreement at the end of December. Mr Johnson has now promoted Lord Frost to his cabinet and made him responsible for charting Britain’s future relations with the EU.
He will also co-chair a committee managing the implementation of the Brexit withdrawal deal.
This makes him responsible for maintaining British trade with the EU and dealing with any difficulties caused by the new agreement.
Lord Frost will serve under Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who will be his boss in the Cabinet Office.
However, the move was mocked on social media by pro-EU politicians and activists angered by Britain’s withdrawal.
Lord Frost is responsible for Britain’s future EU relations (Image: GETTY)
Mr Gove said Lord Frost had done an “extraordinary job for this country” (Image: GETTY)
Labour MP Geraint Davies tweeted: “Lord Frost, whose negotiation lost us 68 percent of EU exports, is given responsibility for EU relations as, once again, incompetent loyalty is put before national interest.”
Arch Europhile and former Labour minister Lord Adonis commented: “Remember we were told that Brexit was ‘done’?
“Month two and Johnson has just appointed a Brexit minister because it’s all falling apart.”
Another anti-Brexit Twitter user added: “Nothing says you got Brexit done as much as appointing [a] Minister for Brexit two months after you got Brexit done.”
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Britain formally left the EU in January 2020 (Image: GETTY)
Brexiteer Lord Frost replaced Olly Robins, who Theresa May appointed, as chief Brexit negotiator when Mr Johnson became Prime Minister.
He led the negotiations for Britain’s new trading relationship which was agreed on Christmas Eve.
The deal came into effect just days later at 23:00 on December 31.
Under its terms, Britain is no longer obliged to pay into the EU budget, accept laws made in Brussels or accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
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Lord Frost will serve under Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove (Image: GETTY)
There is fury in Northern Ireland at new trade restrictions with Great Britain (Image: GETTY)
However, the deal has been criticised by some for causing extra trading friction between the UK and EU, with a major increase in paperwork.
To avoid a hard Irish trade border under the deal, Northern Ireland remains attacked to the European single market, with some regulatory restrictions on trade with the rest of the UK.
This has infuriated unionists in Northern Ireland, who are demanding unconstrained trade with Great Britain.
Reacting to his new appointment on Twitter, Lord Frost said: “I am hugely honoured to have been appointed Minister to take forward our relationship with the EU after Brexit.
The Daily Express has been a keen Brexit supporter (Image: EXPRESS )
“In doing so I stand on the shoulders of giants and particularly those of Michael Gove who did an extraordinary job for this country in talks with EU over the past year.”
Mr Johnson had announced Lord Frost would become his new National Security Advisor but this plan was withdrawn last month.
Mr Gove saluted Lord Frost’s appointment claiming he did an “extraordinary job for this country” over the past year.
Northern Ireland has remained tied to the European single market (Image: GETTY)
However, Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow international trade secretary, tweeted: “So we’ve finally got one minister taking a grip of the problems with our post-Brexit trading relationship with Europe.
“Someone who has never been elected by anyone in this country, and won’t be accountable in the House of Commons to any of us who have.”
Britain is keen to boost City of London firms access to the EU market which has fallen since the new deal came into effect.
