One hell of a week for the British Prime Minister.
As the deadline for Brexit looks set to be extended once again, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson must deal with another fresh setback.
Earlier in the week, Johnson suffered significant high-profile defeats in the House of Commons as MPs voted to take control of parliamentary business, later advancing a bill aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit scenario.
Shortly following that, Johnson’s motion for an October general election was soundly defeated.
In response, Johnson accused opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of fearing defeat in the proposed election.
“I think he has become the first leader of the opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election,” the Prime Minister stated.
“I can only speculate as to the reasons behind his hesitation. The obvious conclusion I’m afraid is he does not think he will win.”
The latest twist sees MP and cabinet minister Amber Rudd resigning from the Conservative Party, citing Johnson’s handling of Brexit as the key reason for the exit.
On Saturday night, Rudd took to Twitter to share her official resignation letter.
“I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective,” Rudd noted.
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 (@AmberRuddUK) September 7, 2019
“Unfortunately, I can no longer continue to serve,” Rudd said when speaking with the Sunday Times.
“And I have been surprised, unfortunately, by the lack of work and preparation that is going into getting a deal with the European Union.
“I knew, and I accept, that the Prime Minister should be able to leave no deal on the table, but what I has expected to see was a huge government-centred effort to get a deal and at the moment there is a lot of work going on into no deal and not enough going into getting a deal.”
Rudd highlighted 21 of her colleagues – “good, strong Conservative MPs with true, moderate progressive values” – who have been excluded from the party, opining that the Conservative Party “no longer has a place for people who have different views on the European Union.”
Rudd underlined that as such, she “can’t stand by that” and thus has chosen to resign from her position, surrendering the Conservative whip in the process.
Boris Johnson has yet to comment on the development.
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