Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab on Thursday resigned his position, saying that he could not in good conscience, support the United Kingdom’s draft Brexit agreement with the European Union (EU).
He was swiftly followed out of the door by Work and Pensions Secretary, Esther McVey and junior Brexit Minister, Suella Braverman.
This is coming just hours after the British Prime Minister, Theresa May announced that she had secured the backing of her cabinet for the deal.
Mr. Raab, a Leave supporter who was promoted to the cabinet to replace David Davis when he quit in protest at Mrs. May’s Brexit plans is among a group of senior ministers thought to be uncomfortable with the agreement.
In his resignation letter, Raab, who was closely involved in drafting the 585-page document which sets out the terms of Britain’s departure from the EU said he could not support it because the regulatory regime proposed for Northern Ireland presented a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom.
“Above all, I cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto at the last election,” Raab said in the resignation letter.
In her resignation letter, Esther McVey told Mrs. May that the agreement does not ‘honour the result of the referendum, indeed it does not meet the tests you set from the outset of your premiership.
”We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal to any deal is better than no deal,” she added.
Northern Ireland Minister, Shailesh Vara was the first to resign over Mrs. May’s agreement on Thursday morning, saying it leaves the UK in a ‘halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation’.
The resignations came as European Council President Donald Tusk announced an emergency meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on November 25, at which the withdrawal agreement and a political declaration on future relations will be finalized and formalized.
Biden Pardons Son Hunter, Citing Selective Prosecution And Miscarriage Of Justice
Stampede Claims 56 Lives During Tournament Final In Guinea
Notre Dame Cathedral Unveils Restored Splendor After Devastating Fire
Australia Passes Landmark Law Banning Social Media Use For Children Under 16