London, Jan 5 (IANS): The British government will appoint senior diplomat Tim Barrow as its new ambassador to the European Union (EU), the media reported.

The decision to name a new ambassador to the EU has come one day after his predecessor decided to step down in a surprising manner, Xinhua news agency reported citing the British media on Wednesday.

Barrow, Britain's former ambassador to Moscow, is expected to play a key role in Britain's Brexit negotiations, replacing the outgoing EU Ambassador Ivan Rogers.

The British government on Tuesday confirmed Rogers had quit his job but gave no reasons for the move. The sudden resignation came just weeks after Rogers was accused of damaging the Britain's Brexit negotiations.

Rogers had warned that it would take a decade to forge a new trade deal with Europe, saying that was the view of the other 27 member states with the bloc.

Political commentators said the relationship between Rogers and the government had become strained over the grim warning of a prolonged Brexit.