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Irish PM's ally to get key post-Brexit role as EU trade commissioner

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A close ally of the Irish prime minister in the European commission is set to get a key role in post-Brexit negotiations in Brussels as the new commissioner for trade.

Phil Hogan, who is currently the agriculture commissioner, is expected to be formally appointed to the role of EU trade commissioner later on Tuesday by the incoming commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and will take up his role on 1 November.

In his new job Hogan will represent the EU at the World Trade Organization and oversee trade talks in a move that could sound alarm bells for Brexiters hoping for a swift trade deal.

But his appointment could also be a blessing for Leo Varadkar, the taoiseach, who told Boris Johnson that Ireland would be the UK’s closest friend and ally in trade negotiations.

Hogan, 59, is from the same party, Fine Gael, as Varadkar, and was first appointed after being nominated by the taoiseach’s predecessor Enda Kenny.

Known in Ireland as “Big Phil”, he is a fixer, bruiser and wily operator. The Irish Times recently described him as “a sometimes abrasive political figure at home” but “also a deft political strategist” who had recently come under attack from farmers in Ireland over a proposed beef deal with countries in the south American Mercosur bloc.

He has been highly critical of the British approach to Brexit, describing Theresa May’s original Brexit as “completely cretinous” and demanding that the UK soften its red lines and return to the drawing board on the Irish border plan.

More recently he launched a scathing attack on Johnson, describing him as an unelected prime minister who was “gambling” with Ireland’s peace process.

He also warned that a hard Brexit would create a “foul atmosphere” with the EU and would have “serious consequences” for the UK’s chances of a favourable trade deal with the bloc.

However, others in Ireland see his appointment to the trade portfolio as a positive step for Johnson because the taoiseach and his deputy have repeatedly promised over the last three years that they would be the UK’s strongest ally in trade talks, because no country wants a better outcome than its westerly neighbour.

On Monday Varadkar warned Johnson that trade talks with the EU would be a “herculean” challenge but said Ireland would act as his friend in Brussels. “We want to be your friend and ally, your Athena,” he said in reference to the Greek goddess Athena who prevented Hercules murdering his foster parent.

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