Crawford Falconer, who was recruited by the Civil Service in 2017 to become the UK’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser reportedly is on the verge of resigning from his post at the Department for International Trade over Theresa May’s Draft Withdrawal Agreement.

A friend of Falconer’s told Business Insider that “if we’re stuck in the Customs Union and forced to follow EU regulations, his role is basically superfluous.” This chimes with an interview the senior civil servant gave to the Telegraph earlier this year where he said his job would be “redundant if the UK were unable to pursue a fully independent trade policy.”

Falconer has previously served as a Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation, and as New Zealand’s Chief Negotiator. He has 25 years of experience at negotiating trade deals. His resignation would be a bigger blow than Fox’s…

UPDATE: A DIT spokesperson has told Guido: “There is no truth to these claims. Crawford is busy preparing to begin trade negotiations when we leave the European Union on 29 March.”