David Davis resigns as Brexit secretary

brexitLenDavid Davis has quit the cabinet after a row with Theresa May over her plans for how things will be after Brexit, just eight months away.

The resignation of the Brexit Secretary late on Sunday July 8, followed by the resignation of two key Brexit aides, may have dealt a death blow to May’s continued leadership.

Hot on the heels of the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator were Steve Baker and Suella Braverman from the Department for Exiting the EU.

Davis said it looked "less and less likely" the Tory party would deliver on the Brexit referendum result and the commitment to leave the customs union and single market.

Ms May had hoped to win over Brexiteers to her proposals last Friday but this instead triggered anti-EU Tory MPs to demand a leadership challenge.

Facing the Commons on Monday was going to be painful enough but with Davis gone, May will have a hard time explaining her proposals and the absence of her Brexit Secretary.

May has survived other leadership challenges and pro-Brexit MPs would struggle to topple her if May decides to stay on. 

"There needs to be a rebuilding of trust,” Bernard Jenkin, a pro-Brexit backbench Conservative told BBC radio on Monday morning.

The Brexit secretary will not be missed in Brussels, he has hardly been there this year while the Commission remains exasperated by the British approach to negotiations and seeks to ensure that other EU States do not do anything stupid, like hold a referendum on membership, during this period of anti-EU sentiment.

The Davis resignation letter, followed by May’s response:

https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/07/09/01/david-davis-letter.jpg?width=1368&height=912&fit=bounds&format=pjpg&auto=webp&quality=70

 

 

...and the response from Theresa May:

 

 

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