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LONDON – Britain’s top trade negotiator and architect of Britain’s post-Brexit trade strategy, Crawford Faulkner, plans to return to New Zealand after Britain completes its entry into a key Indo-Pacific trade bloc.
Faulkner, the second permanent secretary in the Department for International Trade (DIT), has told colleagues and acquaintances it would make sense for him to leave after the UK joins the 11-nation broad and progressive agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
A key official in DIT since joining in 2017 – when he was heralded by ministers Faulkner was instrumental in rolling out a host of UK trade deals under the EU – as showcasing the UK’s ability to attract “the best global talent”. He then shaped the sequencing of the UK’s new free trade agreement, and a key objective is to join the CPTPP as the UK seeks to build ties in the Indo-Pacific region.
The UK has trade agreements with most CPTPP members – including trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand from the outset, a renegotiation deal with Japan and a digital agreement with Singapore – and is nearing the end of a complex accession process. The next round of talks is in Vietnam in a few weeks.
While barriers to joining the group remain, hopes are high that the UK will join this year. CPTPP accession has been set by Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch as one of five main objectives for her department, which also hopes to sign a deal with India in 2023.
Once he hit those two goals, Falconer became famous. whitehall his clear speaking style – It is ready to go. Senior business people say the 69-year-old is likely to return to New Zealand, where he grew up after his parents moved from Greenock, Scotland, and look out for the rest of his career.
Rumors of his impending departure had circulated for some time, with an acquaintance revealing that Faulkner told him he planned to leave DIT after the UK’s deals with Australia and New Zealand were compromised. But he added: “I suspect Crawford is reading the air and knows [Former Trade Secretary then Prime Minister Liz] Truce gone, it might be time to move before it’s moved.
Another person who worked with Faulkner argued that he “never says anything without reason,” and given his longevity in DIT, he “could hardly be accused of jumping ship.”
Faulkner until recently served as the top official in the DIT on an interim basis while a replacement for James Bowler, who moved to the Treasury, was sought during the UK’s political vortex last year. Faulkner, who had first inquired Why would he ever want that job, it’s no mystery that he wasn’t greedy for a full-time position.
He told British MPs in November, “I am happy to do this on an interim basis, and I will be even more happy when someone is appointed full-time.”
Faulkner also has some political scars on his back. He recently came under fire from former environment secretary George Eustice, who called for Faulkner to be replaced by someone who better understands Britain’s interests, amid an attack on the UK’s trade deal with Australia. Subsequently many of his contemporaries gathered around him, with one former trade minister saying: “He is an invaluable member of the team and a pleasure to work with.”
A former DIT official involved in recruiting Falconer said: “Crawford had to come in and build that negotiation wing from scratch. We were very lucky to have him.
After Brexit, the UK negotiated free trade deals at post-Brexit pace, which included the rollover of more than 70 deals within the EU to the UK. Faulkner also initiated talks with the likes of India, Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
But with many of those quick victories now under wraps, and with Badenoch is opting to go for the deep More than speed, Britain’s free trade deal policy is moving at a more specific pace.
The above-quoted acquaintance said, “There is an argument to be made for returning home after the CPTPP is accepted, full – I think – of a knighthood,” as with many other countries the “unpleasant piece of conversation” remains ahead.
The Trade Department said Faulkner is not expected to leave immediately after the signing of the agreement and has not made a final decision on the timing of his departure.
This story was updated to correct a reference to Faulkner’s New Zealand roots.