Brexit pangs
Brexit, once hailed as a grand natural experiment for economists to dissect the repercussions of leaving a low-friction trade environment, has proven messier than anticipated.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a fresh blow on Saturday after senior minister Amber Rudd quit her work and pensions post in protest at his handling of the Brexit crisis.
Taking to Twitter, Rudd said, “I have resigned from Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative Whip”.
“I cannot stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled,” she said while referring to Johnson’s decision to expel 21 MPs from the Conservative party for voting against the government.
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I have resigned from Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative Whip.
I cannot stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled.
I have spoken to the PM and my Association Chairman to explain.
I remain committed to the One Nation values that drew me into politics. pic.twitter.com/kYmZHbLMES
— Amber Rudd MP (@AmberRuddHR) September 7, 2019
Rudd was a moderate member of former prime minister Theresa May’s government whose endorsement Johnson coveted during his successful UK leadership challenge.
In her resignation letter to PM Boris Johnson, she said, “I joined your cabinet in good faith, accepting that ‘no deal’ had to be on the table, because it was the means by which we would have the best chance of achieving a new deal to leave on October 31.
The 56-year-old said she felt that Johnson’s threat of a messy “no-deal” divorce was a useful negotiating tactic to take with Brussels.
“However, I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective,” she wrote.
“The government is expending a lot of energy to prepare for ‘no deal’ but I have not seen the same level of intensity go into our talks with the European Union”, she added.
Last week, PM Boris’s brother Jo Johnson has quit as a member of Parliament and government minister and said that he is “torn between family loyalty and the national interest”.
On Wednesday, Boris Johnson suffered a massive defeat in his parliamentary majority, ahead of a crucial vote sought by a group of MPs opposing his “no-deal” Brexit.
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