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David Frost’s announced resignation as Brexit minister comes at the end of a long career in diplomacy.
A close ally of the Prime Minister, Lord Frost was hired by Boris Johnson as a special political adviser when he was appointed Foreign Minister by Theresa May in 2016.
Three years later, when Mr Johnson succeeded Ms May as Prime Minister, he turned again to Lord Frost, making him his main adviser and negotiator for Europe.
While in that post, he was at the forefront of the UK’s withdrawal negotiations with the EU, culminating in a one-year transition period that ended in December 2020.
Then, in February 2021, the Prime Minister appointed Lord Frost a full member of his cabinet, giving him a key role in overseeing future relations with the European Union.
He also replaced Michael Gove as chairman of the UK-EU Joint Committee on the Withdrawal Agreement.
However, Mr Frost has not always been the Prime Minister’s right-hand man on Brexit.
Born in Derby in 1965 and educated at Nottingham High School, he then studied French and history at Oxford, where he obtained a first.
After university he entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was promoted quickly, including a first assignment in Brussels in 1993.
It was here, apparently, that the seeds of his Euroscepticism were sown as he became disenchanted with the growing European “super state”, although he hid his point of view from his colleagues.
The young diplomat’s post also coincided with Mr Johnson’s time as a journalist in the Belgian capital, where he made a name for himself with articles covering European bureaucracy, although it is not stated whether the two men knew each other.
Lord Frost’s rise to the Foreign Office culminated in his appointment at the age of 41 as UK Ambassador to Copenhagen, followed by secondment to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills as the most senior official in UK trade policy.
Then, signifying things to some, Lord Frost’s seemingly fluid career trajectory took an unexpected turn in 2013 when he left the diplomatic service after more than 25 years to become CEO of the Scotch Whiskey Association.
He also became a member of the advisory board of the Eurosceptic think tank Open Europe, where his views on Brexit became more evident, before joining Mr Johnson’s team in 2016.
Fast forward to 2021 and it was the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic that led Mr Frost to quit diplomacy again, according to The Mail On Sunday.
What awaits the 56-year-old, whether it be whiskey or new pastures, remains to be seen.
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