Published 17:32 IST, September 8th 2019
UK Minister Amber Rudd quits over Brexit, Boris Johnson loses support
Senior Minister Amber Rudd decided to quit her position and pension post in dissent against the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s treatment of the Brexit
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Senior minister Amber Rudd decided to quit her position and pension post in dissent against the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s treatment of the Brexit crisis. This comes as a shock and new blow for Boris Johnson. Rudd said in her tweet that, “ I have resigned from Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative Whip”. She also said, "I cannot stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled,". This came as a reaction to Boris Johnson’s decision to expel 12 of his MPs who belonged to the Conservative party and voted against the Government.
Johnson loses Rudd's support
Amber Rudd was a moderate member of the former government which was run by former Prime Minister Theresa May whose endorsement Boris Johnson pined during his successful leadership challenge for the UK. The resignation letter written by Rudd said that she could no longer support Johnson’s decision to take Britain out of the European Union on October 31, despite no negotiation between both sides. Rudd believes that the convoluted ‘no-deal’ divorce as suggested by Johnson was a useful tactic to negotiate with Brussels.
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Rudd in her resignation letter
She wrote in the letter that, “However, I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government's main objective,'' she further added "The government is expending a lot of energy to prepare for 'no deal' but I have not seen the same level of intensity going into our talks with the European Union."
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More on Brexit
Boris Johnson on losing his first majority in Parliament on Brexit announced that he would further call for an election with public support. Johnson lost his vote as MPs from his Conservative Party sided with the Opposition. This eventually delayed the decision on Brexit and forced snap elections. Whereas in another setback on Wednesday, lawmakers rejected his proposal for early elections to be held on October 15. On September 5, Boris Johnson's brother Jo Johnson also announced his resignation as the education minister and decided to step down the Parliament. He said, he was being torn between maintaining family loyalties and protecting the national interest.
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(Inputs from AP)
16:47 IST, September 8th 2019