Deep in the heart of Whitehall is (or was perhaps) a process of considering whether the UK should seek to put forward a candidate for major international posts like WTO DG. I don't think it would recommend Liam Fox for these reasons... https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1276634436206047233

1. It takes a lot of lobbying in favour of a candidate to get sufficient support. Is that the UK's trade lobbying priority right now when we're also trying to agree multiple trade deals, continuity agreements, and (we'll return to this) our own WTO schedules?

2. It is widely thought (though not by EU trade chief Phil Hogan) that it is time for an African WTO head. And there is a very strong candidate in former Nigerian Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. https://www.ft.com/content/a283b658-3c71-4ecc-b6f3-84f9993ba0cf

3. The next WTO head needs to try to revive the organisation and cut deals. Liam Fox doesn't have good form here, having said a UK-EU deal should be the easiest in history and perhaps more significantly failed to get the UK's new WTO commitments agreed https://www.ft.com/content/5336653a-d93b-11e8-ab8e-6be0dcf18713

4. Do you actually want a UK head of the WTO? The prospects of being able to revive the organisation are not good given mutual enmity in trade terms between US, EU, and China. We'd have to use more political capital for possibly futile efforts at revival.

I have to report that the broad global trade policy community has not been talking about Liam Fox as a serious candidate. That said, virtually none of us have a vote and maybe the talk is different in the hearts of government. https://twitter.com/ChrisMasonBBC/status/1276634479298318337

Conclusion - its a lot of effort to win the lead role in an international organisation, and it doesn't look like Liam Fox is placed to do that now for the WTO. As I've suggested before, perhaps take a few years to become a supportive player before aiming to be the leader. /end