A rare Brexiteer in Whitehall, Lord Frost has made his name fighting Britain’s battles with Brussels in the face of barefaced threats and hostile rhetoric.
His fearsome reputation at the negotiating table prompted Boris Johnson to declare him the ‘Greatest Frost since the Great Frost of 1709’ in his conference speech this year.
They have been close friends since Johnson was Foreign Secretary. When Johnson became Prime Minister, he appointed the ex-diplomat career diplomat to lead negotiations after Olly Robbins and Theresa May failed.
Known as ‘Boris’s Brexit brain’ in Downing Street, Lord David Frost, 56, graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in history and medieval French.
A rare Brexiteer in Whitehall, Lord Frost has made his name fighting Britain’s battles with Brussels in the face of barefaced threats and hostile rhetoric
As a diplomat at the Foreign Office, he began his career. His roles included posting to Brussels and being ambassador to Denmark.
In 2013, he left civil service to lead the Scotch Whisky Association. At the time he wrote a pamphlet on negotiating with the EU which advised: ‘Make what you want seem normal.’
Johnson brought him back in the government to be his adviser as Foreign Secretary. Johnson made him head Brexit negotiator for 2019 and he was subsequently promoted to that position.
Mr Johnson subsequently praised his ‘Herculean efforts in securing a deal with the EU’.
Lord Frost used tips from The Kremlin Schools of Negotiation to help him during his meetings with Brussels. It was written by Igor Ryzov who is an expert on hardball tactics and was a KGB veteran.
The book, published in the UK in 2019, offers insights into Soviet tradecraft and tips such as putting opponents into a zone of uncertainty where ‘fear is the most powerful weapon’. Andrei Gromyko (the Soviet foreign minister who was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis) is described as an expert on the techniques.
Johnson brought him back to the government, to serve as his advisor and Foreign Secretary. He then appointed him Chief Brexit Negotiator for 2019.
Last year, Lord Frost was given joint responsibility by Mr Johnson and Lord Frost for leading post-Brexit EU trade negotiations. He also acted as the National Security Advisor.
The security appointment prompted a tart comment from Mrs May who called him a ‘political appointee with no proven expertise in national security.’
Lord Frost did not accept the full-time job and instead focused his efforts on EU negotiations, in addition to taking up a seat within the House of Lords.
His title since March last year has been Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and he has been a full member of Mr Johnson’s Cabinet.
Lord Frost is leading post-Brexit trade negotiations. His tough approach and public statements that he will not hesitate to rip up the Northern Ireland protocol have been a sign of his determination since Britain left the EU.
He took to Twitter to attack ‘French rhetoric and threats’ over fisheries after a French minister said the EU could hit the UK’s energy supply.
In a significant speech in Portugal in October, Lord Frost laid down the gauntlet to the EU and said it ‘doesn’t always look like’ the bloc wants the UK to succeed.
He said it will ‘take two’ to repair the ‘fractious’ relationship between Britain and Brussels.
However, sources claim Lord Frost privately regretted not moving on protocol recently and claimed that Johnson is distracted by other pressing issues.
Privately Lord Frost says Mr Johnson isn’t ‘focused’ on the Northern Ireland talks, but when the PM does concentrate, he provides the political will to get talks over the line
Privately he says Mr Johnson isn’t ‘focused’ on the Northern Ireland talks, but when the PM does concentrate, he provides the political will to get talks over the line.
Last week, critics accused the Government of ‘going soft’ in its approach to the protocol as it announced negotiations would be rolled into the new year with a new deadline of the end of February.
Lord Frost is married to Harriet. He has two children from the first marriage. He is a keen runner – but sources said he eased back last year when he suffered Covid symptoms.