David Frost, Baron Frost

Frost was the United Kingdom's Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union during the Brexit negotiations in 2019 which resulted in the revised Brexit withdrawal agreement. After the UK left the European Union in January 2020, Frost led the UK's negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement during the Brexit transition period.

The UK government led by Boris Johnson pursued a desire to trade freely with the EU while being subject to as few EU rules as possible, and especially not to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.[12] For its part, the EU insisted that the price for UK access to the European Single Market was compliance with EU subsidies, social, environmental and other regulations to avoid distorting competition in the single market.[12] Another major point of contention was fisheries. Part of the impetus for Brexit was the desire of some of the British to regain full control over their fishing waters, whereas EU coastal states demanded to retain all or most of the fishing rights they enjoyed under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.[12]

The trade agreement, negotiated under increasing time pressure due to the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, had to address all of these issues.[13] Formal trade negotiations, in which Michel Barnier represented the EU and Frost represented the UK, began on 31 March 2020. They were originally due to be concluded by the end of October 2020.[14] However, negotiations continued[15] and formally ended on 24 December 2020 when an agreement, the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, was reached in principle after ten negotiating rounds.

On 31 January 2020, Frost was appointed Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22] On 19 December 2021 he was replaced by Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, as the government's chief negotiator with the EU.[23]

On 28 June 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his nomination of Frost for a life peerage and as UK National Security Adviser, succeeding Sir Mark Sedwill.[24] The Financial Times reported that this was unpopular with military and security services, who felt Frost was underqualified.[25] The appointment received criticism from former Cabinet Secretary Lord O'Donnell and former National Security Adviser Lord Ricketts due to concerns that the Civil Service's impartiality was being eroded by appointing a special adviser in this role.[26] The appointment was also criticised by previous Prime Minister Theresa May in Parliament, who highlighted its political nature, and said Frost does not have proven expertise in national security.[27]

Created a life peer, titled Baron Frost, of Allenton in the County of Derbyshire, on 12 August 2020, he was introduced to the House of Lords on 8 September 2020.[28][29]

David Quarrey took over the role of acting National Security Adviser while Lord Frost was completing the Brexit negotiations.[30]

On 29 January 2021, before he could take up the role full-time, Frost was replaced as UK National Security Adviser by Sir Stephen Lovegrove.[31][32][33] Instead, Frost was appointed UK Representative for Brexit and International Policy.[34]

Frost was made a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office on 1 March 2021, and a full member of the cabinet.[35] He was given responsibility for both the domestic and international aftermath of Brexit.[36] He also succeeded Michael Gove as the UK chairman of the EU–UK Partnership Council.[37] His first action, on 3 March, was to exempt British companies from certain regulations when shipping food to Northern Ireland.[38] In June 2021, he wrote an article in the Financial Times calling for the EU to revisit the Northern Ireland Protocol that he had negotiated, saying the "EU needs a new playbook for dealing with neighbours, one that involves pragmatic solutions between friends, not the imposition of one side's rules on the other and legal purism" and noted the government had underestimated the effect of the protocol, even though its implementation was opposed by the Unionist parties in Northern Ireland and its text clearly created a trade barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.[39][40]

Frost resigned from the government on 18 December 2021, stating that he had "concerns about the current direction of travel" of the government, he had failed to resolve the issues of the Northern Ireland protocol which by then had created political paralysis within the Stormont Government.[41] He cited Boris Johnson's tax hikes, net zero commitments, COVID-19 regulations, and failure to seize the benefits of Brexit as the reason for his resignation.[42][43] Frost has also called out against "the neo-socialists, green fanatics and pro-woke crowd" in Downing Street under Johnson's premiership.[44] Although Frost has never held any elected positions within Parliament, he has indicated that he would be willing to stand as an MP if the opportunity arose, although this would mean resigning as a member of the House of Lords.[45] As of 2022, he listed his occupation as "peer of the realm".[46]