Former European Commissioner is still in demand.
Leon Brittan, the former European commissioner for trade, will next week take up a six-month appointment as an adviser on trade to David Cameron, the British prime minister. The appointment is sufficiently serious to warrant a (temporary) halt to Brittan’s work for UBS Investment Bank.
One wonders why Brittan, who turns 71 later this month, needs to make things so official. After all, Nick Clegg, the UK’s deputy prime minister, is a former member of his private office. Last Friday (27 August) Simon Fraser, once deputy head of Brittan’s private office, took over as head of the UK’s foreign office (the appointment was billed as Cameron trying to shape a more trade-friendly foreign policy).
In Brussels, veterans of the Brittan cabinets are still running the show: Catherine Day is secretary-general of the Commission and Jonathan Faull is director-general for the internal market. Yet still Brittan feels they need his help…