David Davis resigns as Brexit secretary [UPDATE: JOHNSON'S GONE TOO!]

[Denzil_DC]

Last edited Mon Jul 9, 2018, 09:15 AM - Edit history (1)

It comes after Mr Davis is understood to have disagreed with Theresa May's plans for future customs arrangements with EU.

Tory Brexiteers have threatened to challenge the prime minister's leadership over a strategy agreed by ministers after 12 hours of closed talks at Chequers on Friday.

Some Conservative MPs told The Independent they believed there could be enough disgruntled MPs willing to trigger a leadership contest in a bid to remove Ms May.

But even if the 48 needed to oust Ms May materialised, a poll for The Independent showed a majority of the public would expect a general election to be called if Ms May goes.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-david-davis-resigns-cabinet-eu-customs-chequers-arrangements-plan-a8437806.html

I'd class this resignation as breaking news, so details are thin at the moment, but it's been confirmed by various outlets, including the BBC.

[Denzil_DC]

1. The Independent's now updating its story:

The move comes on the eve of a major test for the prime minister as she faces first the house of commons on Monday to explain her proposals and then a stormy meeting of Conservative MPs.

Mr Davis wrote to the prime minister ahead of the crunch cabinet meeting last Friday, warning that her proposals would not be accepted in Europe.

But he is also understood to have had deep reservations about the plans which would keep the UK in a single market for goods, and align the country with with EU regulation.

Backbench Brexiteer Peter Bone supported Mr Davis’ decision to quit, saying he had “done the right thing” and that it was a “principled and brave decision”.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-david-davis-resigns-cabinet-eu-customs-chequers-arrangements-plan-a8437806.html

[Eyeball_Kid]

27. May must make the case for patriotism.

She must frame a distancing from Brexit as patriotic. Otherwise, she’s lost. She cannot be soft in her response to pro-Putin Brexiteers.

[Denzil_DC]

2. And another one's going:

Link to tweet

Christopher Hope
✔
@christopherhope

BREAKING Steve Baker, Brexit minister, has quit the Government, sources say.

[Denzil_DC]

3. Davis's resignation letter:

[Denzil_DC]

4. And May's reply:

[T_i_B]

5. From all that, it's difficult to know who to blame more....

For the totally unrealistic and un-negotiable position the Government finds itself in over the EU negotiations.

Brexshitters like to claim betrayal at the first sign of compromise, but the real betrayal is the failure of their own leaders. Rushing to trigger article 50 without proper preparation was a terrible decision. A decision made because the government is afraid to tell Leave voters uncomfortable truths about what this whole ludicrous charade actually entails.

And that's before we get to the botched general election campaign (David Davis bears some responsibility for pushing for an unnecessary snap election) or the government's consistently unrealistic negotiating position, not helped by a failure by many leavers to acknowledge what a weak negotiating position Britain is in with all this.

[LeftishBrit]

6. Agree on all points

[T_i_B]

17. Commiserations on having President Fart nearby this week

You never know, if Mayor Majid Majid hadn't banned him from Sheffield he might have gone to Chatsworth instead of Blenheim Palace!

[LeftishBrit]

24. Quite a lot of us were there to express our views on having him in our backyard!

[T_i_B]

25. I support the anti-Trump protestors even more now....

Than I did before the visit. What a complete mess the whole thing was thanks largely to the appalling behaviour of President Fart!

[Denzil_DC]

8. My reading is that May finally realized that the only way out of the years-long impasse

the Tory Party has engineered was to try to tough it out, call the bluff of the ERG and Johnson et al. during the grisly Chequers gathering, and insist that if they chose to stay on, they would be bound by cabinet responsibility for what had been agreed.

It was made known beforehand that if any of the major players chose to resign, "bright young things" were already lined up to take their places, and that if anyone did choose to resign during the gathering, they would be instantly stripped of their ministerial privileges and face a mile-long trek along the Chequers drive to a taxi they'd have to call themselves.

Briefings from those supposedly close to Davis have indicated that he found these threats and the way they were delivered humiliating, so the suggestion is that this was as much about ego as about the politics.

But Davis is long known to have felt progressively sidelined by May's own cabal, going to far as to unsuccessfully call for the sacking of her aide Olly Robbins, with whom there's been a great deal of friction since he was installed.

It's not as if Davis has been at all proactive in his post - how much of that is down to him and how much to the paralysis within the government is open to debate. The European Commission has indicated that his resignation "won't affect the Brexit talks". Since he's been so absent, it's hard to see how it could!

No replacement has been named yet for Steve Baker (Suella Braverman apparently hasn't resigned despite earlier reports, though it's anybody's guess how long that will last), but a sign of things to come may be Davis's replacement, Dominic Raab:

Dominic Raab, a Brexit-supporting minister, has been promoted to replace David Davis as Brexit secretary, No 10 has announced.

Raab was previously housing minister and replaces Davis, who resigned late on Sunday night saying he could no longer support the government’s Brexit policy announced at Chequers last week.

...

Raab’s appointment was welcomed by one of the cabinet’s most committed Brexiters, Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/09/dominic-raab-appointed-new-brexit-secretary-in-uk-cabinet-reshuffle

There are rumblings among some in the hardline pro-Brexit camp that Raab shouldn't have accepted the appointment since the Brexit Department's influence may not be as significant as May is likely to carry on using her own office to "steer" the Brexit process.

The cabinet office is trying hard to put on a brave face and paper over the cracks, but with blood now in the water, the Brexiteer sharks circling, and May due to face a crunch meeting with the 1922 Committee later today, who knows what might happen this week, Trump's visit and all?

[Matilda]

23. From a distance, seems to me it all began with Cameron.

He should have mandated at least a 60% majority vote either way on the Leave vote. Whatever anybody does now, half the country is going to be unhappy. I think he was too cocky by half from what I've read, and took too much for granted. But that is typical Cameron.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Steve Baker and Suella Braverman have also resigned

[Denzil_DC]

9. Johnson finally resigns!

Boris Johnson has resigned as foreign secretary, becoming the third minister in 24 hours to walk out of the government rather than back Theresa May’s plans for a soft Brexit.

The prime minister hammered out a compromise with her deeply divided cabinet in an all-day meeting at Chequers on Friday, but after consulting friends and allies since, Johnson decided he could not promote the deal.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “This afternoon, the prime minister accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary. His replacement will be announced shortly. The prime minister thanks Boris for his work.”

...

The prime minister was due to address her backbench MPs in Westminster at 5.30pm, in an atmosphere becoming increasingly febrile. If 48 MPs write letters of no confidence to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, May will face a vote of no confidence.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/09/boris-johnson-resigns-as-foreign-secretary-brexit

[LeftishBrit]

10. Good riddance, except that he may now seek the keys to No. 10 and ultra-hard Brexit

[Denzil_DC]

11. The thought of Boris as PM obviously isn't one I'm keen on.

But at this stage, I'm moderately happier if the Tories' squabbling's done in public, rather than the constant grating stasis of the last couple of years. If it means another general election, well, let's get it done, whatever the outcome. (Recent opinion polling found that a clear majority wanted a GE if May resigned, rather than her replacement as Tory leader automatically taking over as PM.)

Apparently Johnson swithered all morning about whether to attend an important summit he was supposed to host, and at one point nobody seemed to know where he was.

Great timing all this, anyway, what with Trump coming and all.

Over to you, Labour ...

[Soph0571]

12. I think that although opinion polls would want a GE I doubt the Tories would listen

If they go to the polls it could be a disaster and they like power far too much to risk it.
Either way it is going to be a very interesting summer....
Personally I think it is great that the hardliners are leaving .... I just wonder who she will pick to replace Boris - if she went with a remainer that would really tweak the righties noses.

[Denzil_DC]

13. One name being mentioned as Foreign Secretary on social media at the moment is Gove.

A minor snag (one among many): he reportedly has a phobia of flying ...

[Soph0571]

14. I think he would fly to take that job

And yet another stab in the back to Boris would be amusing to witness.... Would it not be marvellous if she brought Hague back? Bring a bit of gravitas to the role.... of course he would run a mile - far to sensible!

[Denzil_DC]

15. I suspect he'd do his damnedest to sprout wings if he could!

According to journalists on Twitter, Boris informed No. 10 he'd be resigning this evening. Then No. 10 decided to make the announcement themselves.

The gloves are off, it seems. I'm sure it'll end well.

[Denzil_DC]

16. Oh, and this is fun:

Link to tweet

Henry Mance
✔
@henrymance

AMAZING - David Davis says Boris Johnson shouldn't have resigned

"I had resigned because this was central to my job... I don’t think it’s central to the foreign secretary." (via @IainDale @lbc)

There's so much counter-briefing going on at the moment, it's hard to keep up!

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. I checked oddschecker for who was favourite as new Foreign Secretary. "Tristram Hunt", strangely

despite having resigned as a Labour MP. So I suppose they mean Jeremy Hunt. OMG ...

[Denzil_DC]

20. The bookies, for once, don't seem to have any more of a clue than the rest of us:

PaddyPower's been having a field day (this from 11 hours ago):

TORY CHAOS SPECIALS

4/7 – Conservative leadership contest to be called in 2018
6/4 – General Election to be called in 2018
Evens – No deal being agreed with the EU before April 1st 2019
4/1 – May to be PM at next General Election

LEADERSHIP CONTEST ODDS

1/2 – Theresa May
4/1 – Jacob Rees-Mogg
4/1 – Michael Gove
6/1 – Sajid Javid
9/1 – Boris Johnson

WHEN WILL BOJO RESIGN

10/1 – Today (Monday)
14/1 – Tomorrow (Tuesday)
4/1 – This week
Evens – This year
6/4 – 2019

https://news.paddypower.com/politics/2018/07/09/dexeus-midnight-runner-could-end-mays-soft-brexit-party/

(That one above may be a spoof.)

Anyway, there goes another one after the 1922 Committee meeting. Chris Green resigns as PPS:

Link to tweet

Meanwhile:

Christopher Hope
✔
@christopherhope

BREAKING More Conservative Cabinet ministers will resign unless Theresa May drops her Chequers plan, senior Eurosceptic sources have told The Telegraph.
One source said: "This is defenestration by Cabinet. If you push on with Chequers you are going to lose you leadership."

All this over a long-overdue cobbled-together armtwisted "agreement" the EU has already made clear it will dismiss as a non-starter. It's like Schrödinger's Cat - everything's fine till you open the box, then it's dead kitty time. Dearohdearohdear.

Still, May survived the 1922 Committee meeting, though seriously winged. It's going to be a fun run-up to the recess.

[T_i_B]

21. It's Jeremy H*nt

[T_i_B]

19. If Labour win a general election and get saddled with this mess....

...it could finish them too!

And I don't think I have any words left to describe the Tories, who's government is on the verge of spectacular collapse.

[LeftishBrit]

22. So now Jeremy Rhyming-Slang will be Foreign Secretary

O wot joy. At least it means he'll be out of Health. Does anyone know anything about Matt Hancock, the replacement?

[calimary]

26. One thing worrying me about Boris Johnson is his ambition.

When he's tied in as a minister he MIGHT be contained somewhat. But now that he's a free agent, Lord knows what he'll be up to or what kind of trouble he can cause.

[T_i_B]

28. I think he will be pontificating for the Telegraph again.

Which he may possibly use as a platform for internal maneuvering and trying to pass the buck.

[Denzil_DC]

29. Indeed, having had to give up his Telegraph column when he became Home Secretary,

Boris has walked back into the same lucrative gig.

It sounds like he's taken a bit of a pay cut, though. He was getting £300,000+ a year, now he's only getting £250,000 a year.

Of course, it was his ill-informed and malicious scribblings that played a not inconsiderable role in landing us with this almighty mess in the first place.

Still, nice money if you can get it.

[Denzil_DC]

30. Add this to the list:

Boris Johnson flouts MPs' rules after return to newspaper column

Boris Johnson has broken rules that prevent former cabinet ministers taking up new jobs for three months after leaving office.

The former foreign secretary failed to get permission from the government’s appointments watchdog for his role as a columnist for the Daily Telegraph.

Former ministers should apply to the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) before accepting a new role under the ministerial code.

Ministers who have been members of the cabinet should not accept new appointments for three months after leaving office.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/17/boris-johnson-flouts-commons-rules-after-return-to-newspaper-column

It's not clear in what sense these are "rules", as there seem to be no penalties for breaking them.