Several Whitehall officials, including advisers in No. 10 Downing Street, support an idea to fold the Brexit department into a souped-up Foreign Office (FCO) immediately after Brexit | Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
The government is considering abolishing EU (DExthe Department for Exiting the European Union) after the UK's departure date of 29 March 2019. The department, headed by David Davis, was established by the prime minister, Theresa May, shortly after the the Department for Exiting the European Union referendum in 2016 to handle Brexit negotiations. Senior government figures are reported to be concerned that leaving it in place after the UK officially leaves would send the wrong signal to voters, and have suggested it could be absorbed into an enlarged Foreign Office. Alternatively DExthe Department for Exiting the European Union could simply be renamed while it continues negotiating with the the Department for Exiting the European Union post-Brexit.