Theresa May's future as British Prime Minister today was in great turmoil as a second Cabinet minister, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned, hours after her Brexit Minister David Davis quit, amid a growing political crisis over the UK's strategy to leave the European Union.
Johnson, the poster boy in the Cabinet for pro-Brexit ministers, did not arrive at the Foreign Office near Downing Street this morning, triggering speculation over further trouble ahead for the embattled British Prime Minister.
This afternoon, the Prime Minister accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary. His replacement will be announced shortly. The Prime Minister thanks Boris for his work, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Johnson has been foreign secretary since June 2016. His departure came shortly before May is due to address Parliament about her new Brexit plan, which has angered many Tory MPs.
The UK is due to leave the 28-member European Union on March 29, 2019, but the two sides have yet to agree how trade will work between them afterwards.
It had been widely reported that Johnson was not supportive of May's latest Brexit plans, thrashed out at a crucial meeting last Friday. However, there seemed to have been a shaky truce in place until Brexit minister Davis, resigned from the Cabinet overnight on Sunday stating policy differences over her exit plan from the European Union, but insisted that he had no plans of backing a revolt against the British Prime Minister.
The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU said he remained unpersuaded about the government's negotiating position, just days after the British Prime Minister had rallied her Cabinet to a crucial away day at her country retreat, Chequers, to thrash out a collective position on the issue.
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May quickly announced a replacement for Davis, with Dominic Raab taking charge of day to day negotiations as the new Brexit minister. Raab, previously housing minister in the Cabinet, has been promoted largely because he was a prominent Leave campaigner during the 2016 EU referendum and likely to appeal to grumbling hard-Brexit MPs.
In his resignation letter, Davis said it looked "less and less likely" the Conservative party would deliver on the Brexit result and the commitment to leave the EU Customs Union and Single Market dubbed by many as a soft Brexit.
"The
In her own letter, May thanked Davis for his service, but adds: "I do not agree with your characterisation of the policy we agreed at Cabinet on Friday."