18:46

A former ambassador to Denmark and Foreign and Commonwealth Office official is being tipped to be named as Boris Johnson’s new Brexit negotiator, replacing Olly Robbins.

David Frost is a career diplomat who was head of Europe at the Foreign Office and served as a special adviser to Boris Johnson during the incoming prime minister’s time there.

He is currently the chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has years of experience working with the EU.

Those who know him say he supports Brexit, ticking a key box for the incoming prime minister. “He believes there is a deal to be done and will pursue that,” one source has said.

However, there are also concerns that, if his appointment is confirmed, the key “sherpa” role is going to someone who is not a full-time member of the civil service. One source has said:

David is good, he knows Europe inside out. But Johnson will need someone at a senior level in the civil service who will be in charge of the day to day work.

There has also been speculation Johnson will appoint a Brexiter MP to oversee negotiations in order to satisfy the Eurosceptic MPs who criticised the secrecy of May’s negotiations and the “tunnel” in which Robbins, her Brexit negotiator operated in the latter stages.