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Brexit thrown into disarray as Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary – politics live
Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary, throwing Brexit into disarray – politics live
(35 minutes later)
This is from the Evening Standard’s Jim Armitage.
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.
Just when you thought the govt might not totally screw up brexit, Boris resigns. Sterling sighs in resignation. pic.twitter.com/8usYMadzq6
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.
This is from the Guido Fawkes website.
Sir Vince Cable, the Lib Dem leader, congratulates May on killing off a UK-US free trade deal. He says that cannot take place new because the US would not accept EU rules on food.
Source: Permanent Secretary and SpAds have just been called into Liam Fox's office at DIT.
Sir Bill Cash, the Conservative Brexiter, asks how may reconciles her plan with democratic self-government.
This is from the Spectator’s James Forsyth.
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.
Understand that Boris now thinks that ‘no deal’ would be better than the Chequers plan. We’re about to find out how many Tory MPs agree with him https://t.co/VZ6DpG6gxz
Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, repeats the line Corbyn used about it taking two years for May to come up with a Brexit plan, and two days for it to come apart.
The government is in “complete and utter chaos”, Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, has said.
He says that May has to stop kowtowing to Tory Brexiters.
Tom Watson MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, responding to Boris Johnson’s resignation, said: “Theresa May’s Government is in meltdown. This is complete and utter chaos."
He says May should accept that there is mounting evidence against a hard Brexit. He says May should work with other parties to stay in the single market and the customs union.
Boris Johnson is about to leave his official residence at Carlton Gardens, the BBC reports.
May says her answer to that is an unequivocal no. The UK is leaving the single market and the customs union.
David Davis’s resignation as Brexit secretary did not trigger an immediate threat to Theresa May’s leadership. He insisted that he wanted her to stay as prime minister and, by lunchtime today, despite numerous Tory Brexiters taking to the airwaves denouncing May’s Brexit plan, we had not heard any calls for her departure. That was because, with most cabinet ministers supporting her, it seemed very likely that May would win a confidence vote hansomely.
This is from Sky’s Beth Rigby.
Now, though, the Brexiters have got an alternative candidate - assuming Johnson does mount a leadership challenge. Whether he will or not is unclear at this point; as I write, we have not heard any statement from Johnson. And, after the Heathrow expansion vote no-show and Johnson’s decision to back May’s plan at Chequers on Friday after telling cabinet ministers that doing so amounts to “polishing a turd”, Johnson is a diminished figure. But he has wanted to be prime minister since he was a child (or “king of the world”, as he described his goal then) and this is probably his last chance. A challenge does seem very likely.
Nasty this; told Boris Johnson informed No 10 earlier that he was going to resign this evening & they put out statement. “They think they’re terribly clever” said a friend.
Could he win? It would be very hard. Only 129 Conservative MPs voted leave - less than half - and even many of those have reservations about the hard Brexit vision set out by Johnson, which the cabinet comprehensively rejected on Friday. Also, amongst colleagues, trust in Johnson is low. Johnson is popular with Conservative party members. But they would only get to vote in a leadership contest if May were to lose a vote of confidence, and May is reportedly keen to fight and win such a contest.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative former party leader and Brexiter, asks if any concessions will be offered to the EU.
Here is our story about Boris Johnson’s resignation.
May says when the white paper is published Duncan Smith will see that it contains some areas, such as involvement in agencies, where there will have to be a negotiation.
Boris Johnson has resigned.
May says Corbyn was supposed to ask some questions, but that he did not actually do so.
Downing Street put out this statement.
On standards, May says the government is committed to maintaining high regulatory standards for the environment, climate change, social and employment, and consumer protection.
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.
On the subject of resignations, she says Corbyn has had 103 resignations from his front bench. So she will take no lectures from him.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg has got some info from the ministerial drivers - normally the best-informed people in Whitehall when it comes to imminent reshuffles and resignations.
She says Labour can’t speak about economic policy. Their policies would lead to a run on the pound.
Apparently Johnson’s drivers have been told three times he’s going to leave to go to work then he hasn’t -
Jeremy Corbyn says the cabinet Brexit deal took two years to negotiate and two days to unravel.
Gavin Barwell, the prime minister’s chief of staff, will not now be briefing opposition MPs on Theresa May’s Brexit plan. (See 9.29am.) Labour MPs were invited to a briefing by Barwell this afternoon. But the news infuriated Tory Brexiters, who were unhappy about the idea of Barwell consorting with the enemy, and now the briefing will still go ahead, but with officials doing the briefing, not Barwell.
He mocks May’s claim that she has restored cabinet collective responsibility.
This is from my colleague Pippa Crerar, a former Evening Standard City Hall editor.
He says he understands why ministers did not resign on Friday; their phones were removed, they would have lost their cars, and, because of government cuts, there would have been no bus services.
Boris Johnson is currently holed up in his official residence with his closest advisors. As a Boris watcher of many years standing, have to say it's looking ominous.
Turning to Dominic Raab, the new Brexit secretary, Corbyn says Raab is on record as favouring reducing rights. (There is more on Raab’s views in this Guardian article from six years ago.)
Theresa May is losing the support of Conservative supporters who voted leave, which is more than half of them, YouGov reports.
Corbyn says jobs are at risk from Brexit. They should not be a sub-plot in a Tory civil war. He says we need a government than can negotiate on behalf of Britain. And if they can’t, “they should make way for those who can”.
Our new survey of Conservative members finds that Theresa May is starting to lose support among Leave-voting members...Think May is doing well: Sep 2017 / July 2018Leave-voting members: 73% / 52%Remain-voting members: 70% / 78%https://t.co/UCngzUeSzG pic.twitter.com/MAVCrtwhNA
Number 10 has announced two promotions.
This is from ITV’s Robert Peston.
Kat Malthouse, a work and pensions minister, replaces Dominic Raab as the new housing minister.
Friends of @BorisJohnson think he is quitting. Not definite. But he is ensconced in his official residence with his advisers, which sends a powerful signal. As one said, "very hard for him not to quit now that Davis has, given that everyone knows they both hate May's Brexit plan"
And Chris Heaton-Harris becomes a junior minister at the Brexit department, replacing Steve Baker.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg has more on the hunt for Boris Johnson.
Since the referendum there has been “a spirited national debate” on Brexit.
Drivers waiting outside Boris Johnson’s house and it looks like, delivering a new wine fridge - or is it removal van? Kidding #boriswatch - if anyone is at Cobra and knows he is actually there do please let us know pic.twitter.com/2rp8vXIpSm
She has listened to every possible idea, she says. She says this is the right one to pursue.
Hear he was not at Cobra and cancelled the lunch at the summit too https://t.co/7jdwPgkfeP
May confirms the government white paper on Brexit will be published on Thursday.
Still said to be expected at the summit at 3 - who knows https://t.co/l0sSxJqJKa
May says her proposals are consistent with what the Conservative manifesto promised.
Dominic Raab, a Brexit-supporting minister, has been promoted to replace David Davis as Brexit secretary, No 10 has announced. Theresa May had embark on a mini reshuffle after Davis announced his resignation late last night, saying that he could not defend the Brexit plan agreed by the cabinet at Chequers on Friday. Davis’s resignation came as May was already facing an angry backlash from Conservative Brexiters who believe that her plan to ensure the UK accepts a “common rulebook” with the EU on goods (ie, the EU’s rulebook) means that Britain will remain a “ruletaker” after Brexit. The outburst of Brexiter anger poses a potential threat to May’s leadership, but not necessarily an imminent one. Davis has said he does not want to see May replaced (see 9.43am), and although many Brexiters are saying May’s plan is unacceptable, we have not heard any of them today saying May must quit. May is preparing to defend her strategy, in a statement to MPs at 3.30pm and then in a private meeting with Conservative MPs at 6pm.
She goes on:
Davis has said that May’s claim that her plan will return power to the House of Commons is “illusory”. (See 9.43am)
What we are proposing is challenging for the EU.
Andrea Leadsom, the Brexiter leader of the Commons, has said that there must be “no special favours” for EU nationals after Brexit - contradicting May, who has specifically left open this option. (See 12.38pm.)
That triggers laughter.
Steve Baker, the Brexit minister who resigned alongside Davis, has said that anti-Brexiter briefing by Number 10 last week was “childish nonsense”. (See 12.26pm.) May has not yet replaced him as a minister of state in the Brexit department. But the department has confirmed that Suella Braverman, another prominent leave voter, is remaining as a Brexit minister. Last night it was reported that she had quit too, and earlier this morning the department could not say whether or not she was still in post.
She says her plan would require the EU to think again.
Labour MPs have been invited to a Downing Street briefing about May’s Brexit plan. The move is being seen as a sign that, with Tory Brexiters determined to vote against it, May will only get her proposals through the Commons with the support of the opposition.
Back in the Commons May says 96% of businesses would not face extra bureaucracy for the government’s new customs plan, a facilitated customs arrangement.
Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, has said that the prospective UK-US trade deal is now “up in the air” in the light of the Chequers plan. (See 12.57pm,)
She says some people have said the UK would not be able to strike trade deals under her plan. That is wrong, she says.
Boris Johnson has missed a scheduled appearance at the West Balkans summit. There are also reports that he missed this morning’s Cobra meeting about the Wiltshire novichok poisoning, prompting speculation that he will announce his resignation as foreign secretary later today.
