British prime minister Theresa May has suffered 18 resignations from her government since last November, ten of which have been related to her approach to Brexit. Here is the list:
- Michael Fallon – Resigned as defence minister in November 2017 after a journalist accused him of sexual harassment.
- Priti Patel – The aid minister also resigned in November 2017 over undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials.
- Damian Green – Quit in December 2017 from his role as May’s effective deputy after an internal investigation found he had made misleading comments about pornography on computers in his parliamentary office.
- Justine Greening – She resigned in January after refusing to take a new job in a cabinet reshuffle.
- Amber Rudd Stepped down as home secretary (interior minister) in April over the government’s treatment of some long-term Caribbean residents who were wrongly labelled illegal immigrants.
- Greg Hands – The junior trade minister resigned from the government in June to oppose its plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport.
- Phillip Lee – A junior justice minister, Lee resigned over the government’s handling of Brexit in June.
- David Davis – He quit as Brexit Secretary in July in protest at May’s “Chequers” plan to keep close trade ties with the EU after Brexit.
- Steve Baker – He resigned as a junior Brexit minister in July, also over the Chequers plan.
- Boris Johnson – Resigned as foreign secretary in July over the Chequers plan.
- Andrew Griffiths – The minister for small businesses resigned over allegations around a sex-texting scandal in July.
- Guto Bebb – A junior defence minister, he resigned in July after voting against a government-backed Brexit amendment.
- Tracey Crouch – She resigned as sports minister earlier this month, accusing the government of delaying a proposed reform of gambling regulations. The government later changed its mind.
- Jo Johnson – The junior transport minister, younger brother of Boris, resigned last week, calling for another referendum to avoid the vassalage or chaos that he said May’s Brexit plan would unleash. Unlike his brother, Jo Johnson campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU in the 2016 referendum.
- Shailesh Vara – The junior Northern Ireland minister resigned from the government on Thursday (15) after the cabinet approved a draft divorce deal, saying this will leave the UK “in a half-way house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation.”
- Dominic Raab – Britain’s Brexit minister resigned on Thursday in protest at the government’s plans for leaving the European Union, saying that the Irish “backstop” arrangement was now the starting point for discussions on future ties, which could severely prejudice the second phase of negotiations.
- Esther McVey – The welfare minister resigned on Thursday accusing the prime minister of failing to honour the result of the 2016 referendum.
- Suella Braverman – The junior Brexit minister resigned on Thursday saying the proposed divorce deal was not what the British people voted for and risked breaking up the United Kingdom.
Reuters
