A FORMER top UK civil servant is set to discuss the impact of Brexit on Scotland at an event next month.
Sir Philip Rycroft served as permanent secretary in the Department for Leaving the European Union between 2017 and 2019, overseeing the UK Government’s tumultuous attempts to negotiate a Brexit agreement with the European Union.
Next month, Rycroft will take part in an event with former BBC journalist David Shukman in Dumfries.
The event – organised by the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) – will see the pair discuss the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and how it has impacted Scotland.
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Rycroft recently resettled in Dumfries and Galloway after retiring from the civil service in 2019.
During the final stages of his career he acted as head of the UK Governance Group, which led the UK Government’s work on constitutional affairs and devolution.
Shukman, meanwhile, began his career as a reporter in Northern Ireland before becoming the BBC first science editor in 2011.
The event is being held at Moat Brae in Dumfries, the home of National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling, on April 27.
David Roulston, chair of the southwest Scotland EMiS branch, said: “The UK is on the edge of a General Election. Europe will vote in May for its parliament. America will decide its president in December and war rages in Gaza and Ukraine.
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“It is perhaps a good time to listen to people of great experience who made and reported recent great events. It will be a fascinating discussion.
“Moat House is famous for its association with J M Barrie, the local man who gave the world Peter Pan.
“Brexit has been a disaster for the UK and delivered no tangible benefits.
“I am reminded of the conversation between John and Michael in Peter Pan: ‘Michael, the buried treasure, where is it?’”
More details on the event can be found here - including how to secure a ticket.
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