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Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary, throwing Brexit into disarray – politics live Theresa May would fight any no-confidence vote, says No 10 – politics live
(35 minutes later)
In the Commons Labour’s Kevin Brennan asked May about the Kuenssberg 48 letters tweet. May did not respond directly, and just said she was getting on with her job.
There are rumours that 48 Tory MPs have now signed letters asking for no confidence vote in Theresa May, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.
Whispers Tory MP s have reached the magic number of the 48 letters required to force a confidence vote - no way of knowing yet if true - meeting at 5.30
The only person who knows for sure will be Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee.
This procedure was last used when Tory MPs triggered a no confidence vote in Iain Duncan Smith in 2003. Duncan Smith lost.
If Brady has got the 48 letters, you would expect him to announce a contest quite quickly, but not necessarily immediately. He never discusses exactly how the process works, but one issue might be the need to check that people who submitted letters some time ago still want a contest.
The Yorkshire Post’s Arj Singh says he has been told the 1922 committee is not yet organising a confidence vote.
1922 Committee not yet organising a confidence vote, which they have to do once the 48 letters threshold is reached. It can take "one or two days" to put in place.
But it is possible that that there could be a link between Boris Johnson resigning and some letters going in - either because some Tories did not want to trigger a vote until they knew Johnson was available, or because Johnson was holding off resigning until he knew sufficient letters had been submitted.
In the Commons Labour’s Stephen Kinnock says May’s customs plan would be a bureaucratic nightmare. He says remaining in the EEA (European Economic Area) would be much simpler. Why doesn’t May just choose that option?
May says Kinnock has forgotten that the Commons voted overwhelmingly against staying in the EEA.
And here is Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, on Boris Johnson.
Boris Johnson has resigned as Theresa May thanks him for his work. He was due to host the West Balkans Summit in London dedicated to helping the Balkan states prepare for EU membership through better governance. Not sure UK has much to teach anyone on good governance.
Hosting the West Balkans summit was the foreign office's big symbolic push to show its commitment to Europe after Brexit. Unfortunately typical of his stewardship of the foreign office that machinations over Brexit undid this ambition.
Here is my colleague Martin Kettle’s take on Boris Johnson’s resignation.
And here is how it starts.
Boris Johnson’s resignation turns Theresa May’s manic Monday from a crisis about Brexit policy into a crisis about the Conservative leadership. The resignation is not about the former. It is about the latter. David Davis resigned overnight because he disagreed with May’s policy on customs and trade links with Europe. Johnson has now followed him because he wants to become prime minister. Davis resigned on an issue of principle; Johnson resigned on an issue of self-interest.
Labour’s Wes Streeting says there is no majority in the Commonsn for the Chequers deal. “It is dead.” EU leaders won’t take it seriously because it won’t get through parliament. He says it may deliver a soft Brexit for goods, but it delivers a hard Brexit for services.
May says she is proposing what is best for the UK.
Labour’s Mary Creagh asks if May has appointed a new foreign secretary.
May says she has been in the chamber for most of the time since Boris Johnson resigned. She will appoint a successor in due course, she says.
In the Commons John Baron, a Conservative, asks May to accept that asking other countries to comply with EU standards on goods will make it harder to agree trade deals.
May says slashing standards may be a theoretical option, but the Commons would not necessarily want to do this. She says the government has said it will maintain standards.
Downing Street has confirmed that Theresa May will seek to fight to keep her job if Tory MPs trigger a no confidence vote, my colleague Heather Stewart reports.
Downing Street source, asked if May would contest any vote of no confidence. "Yes".
In the Commons Stephen Hammond, one of the leading Tory pro-Europeans, says businesses in his constituency will welcome what the cabinet decided.
John Whittingdale, the Brexiter Conservative former culture secretary, has congratulated Boris Johnson, David Davis and Steve Baker on their stance.
Enormous act of bravery and principle by Boris, DD and Steve. I and 17.4m people salute you
Here are two blogs on the Boris Johnson resignation that are worth readinHere are two blogs on the Boris Johnson resignation that are worth readin
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg says Boris Johnson’s resignation may be followed by others.The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg says Boris Johnson’s resignation may be followed by others.
A well-connected source has just told me that it could be more serious than that.A well-connected source has just told me that it could be more serious than that.
They told me it is a concerted push to force the prime minister to drop her Chequers’ compromise.They told me it is a concerted push to force the prime minister to drop her Chequers’ compromise.
They said: “If she doesn’t drop Chequers there will be another, then another, then another, then another”.They said: “If she doesn’t drop Chequers there will be another, then another, then another, then another”.
Gary Gibbon at Channel 4 News says Number 10 expects a leadership challenge.Gary Gibbon at Channel 4 News says Number 10 expects a leadership challenge.
Mr Johnson took a while to make his mind up, arguably many months. It’s not the most dignified resignation perhaps, waiting for Mr Davis to take the lead and then pondering the pluses and minuses of a move now.Mr Johnson took a while to make his mind up, arguably many months. It’s not the most dignified resignation perhaps, waiting for Mr Davis to take the lead and then pondering the pluses and minuses of a move now.
No. 10 had calculated that it could face these two resignations and might be able to survive them. But it can’t be sure. It can be reasonably sure now that an attempt on the PM’s leadership will be made. Forty-eight MPs need to send in letters demanding a vote of no confidence. That now looks very plausible.No. 10 had calculated that it could face these two resignations and might be able to survive them. But it can’t be sure. It can be reasonably sure now that an attempt on the PM’s leadership will be made. Forty-eight MPs need to send in letters demanding a vote of no confidence. That now looks very plausible.
Andrea Jenkyns, a Tory Brexiter, says she has received hundreds of emails form people disappointed by the Chequers plan. How can she restore faith in politics.Andrea Jenkyns, a Tory Brexiter, says she has received hundreds of emails form people disappointed by the Chequers plan. How can she restore faith in politics.
May says she is delivering what people wanted: taking back control of laws, immigration and money, pulling the UK out of the common agriculture policy and the common fisheries policy and allowing the UK to negotiate trade deals.May says she is delivering what people wanted: taking back control of laws, immigration and money, pulling the UK out of the common agriculture policy and the common fisheries policy and allowing the UK to negotiate trade deals.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, has issued a statement backing Theresa May.
Statement. pic.twitter.com/YxNy8dMxwi
Peter Bone, the Conservative Brexiter, says for the first time in 10 years activists in his constituency refused to campaign with him this Saturday because they were so disappointed with the Chequers plan.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory Brexiter, says a Number 10 briefing said any trade deal with the US would have to involve a carve-out for agriculture, because the UK would abide by EU standards.
May says that would be an issue regardless of what Brexit deal emerges. The UK will want to maintain standards in some areas, she says. That could constrain a future trade deal. She says another country might want the UK to slash its standards for the sake of a trade deal, but the UK would reject that.
But the Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith has applauded Johnson’s decision to resign.
Boris could literally throw himself in front of a bus to save a child, and his opponents would still accuse him of being opportunistic. He’d never have wanted to resign from one of the great offices of state. That he did so shows how much he cares about respecting the referendum
In an interview with LBC, David Davis was asked for his reaction to Boris Johnson’s resignation. He replied:
Regret, really. I had resigned because this was central. This was central to my job and if we continue with this policy and I was still there, I’d have to present it in the House of Commons. I’d have to present it in Europe. I’d have to be the champion of the policy which I didn’t believe in, so that doesn’t work. Somebody else can do a better job than me under those circumstances. I don’t think it’s central to the foreign secretary. It’s a pity, but there we are.
David Davis refuses to say he welcomes Boris Johnson’s resignation.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper says no one understands how May’s facilitated customs arrangement would work. She says May has shown that pandering to both sides does not work. She says May should put a plan to the Commons so MPs can vote on it. May cannot just sit there saying “nothing has changed”.
May says that is not what she is saying.
Labour’s Hilary Benn, the chair of the Commons Brexit committee, asks May to confirm that the transition period will have to be extended because HMRC will need more time to introduce the customs arrangements required by the facilitated customs arrangement.
May replies with a single word: “No.”
Anna Soubry, the Conservative pro-European, congratulates May on her leadership. But she says she is concerned about the impact of her plan on services.
May says the government wants more flexibility on services. It wants to be able to put in place what is necessary to maintain the UK’s leading role in services, not least in financial services.
Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, congratulates May on killing off a UK-US free trade deal. He says that cannot take place now because the US would not accept EU rules on food.
Sir Bill Cash, the Conservative Brexiter, asks how May reconciles her plan with democratic self-government.
May says the UK is leaving the jurisdiction of the European court of justice. It will be up to parliament to decide if it wants to comply with new rules.