British PM suffers ministerial resignation over Brexit deal

Published November 15, 2018
In this file photo taken on November 14, 2018, Brexit Minister Dominic Raab leaves Downing Street in London. — AFP
In this file photo taken on November 14, 2018, Brexit Minister Dominic Raab leaves Downing Street in London. — AFP

British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a huge blow on Thursday as Dominic Raab quit as her Brexit secretary, saying he “must resign” over the proposed EU withdrawal agreement.

"I cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto," he said in his resignation letter, published on his Twitter account.

Earlier today Shailesh Vara, a junior minister, quit May's government over the proposed Brexit withdrawal agreement, saying it failed to leave Britain as a sovereign nation.

Vara, a Northern Ireland minister, became the first member of the government to quit over the deal as May began trying to sell the draft accord to parliament.

The agreement “leaves the UK in a half-way house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation”, he wrote in his resignation statement, which he published on his Twitter account.

Vara backed Britain staying in the European Union in the 2016 referendum in which 52 per cent of Britons opted to leave the bloc.

He said the vote had to be delivered upon.

“With respect, prime minister, this agreement does not provide for the United Kingdom being a sovereign, independent country leaving the shackles of the EU, however it is worded,” he wrote.

“We are a proud nation and it is a sad day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by other countries who have shown that they do not have our best interests at heart.

"We can and must do better than this. The people of the UK deserve better."

Born in Uganda, Vara, 58, is a former vice-chairman of May's centre-right governing Conservative Party who has been a member of parliament since 2005.

May won her cabinet's approval for the agreement during a five-hour meeting on Wednesday, an important step that helped allay growing fears of a disorderly divorce.

However, she faces a mutiny in her own party, which does not command a majority in parliament's lower House of Commons.

She will set out the terms of the agreement to the chamber, which must approve the deal before Brexit day on March 29.

European Council President Donald Tusk meanwhile called a leaders' summit later this month to seal the deal.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...