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Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary, throwing Brexit into disarray – politics live Boris Johnson resigns as foreign secretary, throwing Brexit into disarray – politics live
(35 minutes later)
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 readin
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.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.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 new because the US would not accept EU rules on food. 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. 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.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.
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.
He says that May has to stop kowtowing to Tory Brexiters.
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.
May says her answer to that is an unequivocal no. The UK is leaving the single market and the customs union.
This is from Sky’s Beth Rigby.
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.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative former party leader and Brexiter, asks if any concessions will be offered to the EU.
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.
May says Corbyn was supposed to ask some questions, but that he did not actually do so.
On standards, May says the government is committed to maintaining high regulatory standards for the environment, climate change, social and employment, and consumer protection.
On the subject of resignations, she says Corbyn has had 103 resignations from his front bench. So she will take no lectures from him.
She says Labour can’t speak about economic policy. Their policies would lead to a run on the pound.
Jeremy Corbyn says the cabinet Brexit deal took two years to negotiate and two days to unravel.
He mocks May’s claim that she has restored cabinet collective responsibility.
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.
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.)
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”.
Number 10 has announced two promotions.
Kat Malthouse, a work and pensions minister, replaces Dominic Raab as the new housing minister.
And Chris Heaton-Harris becomes a junior minister at the Brexit department, replacing Steve Baker.
Since the referendum there has been “a spirited national debate” on Brexit.
She has listened to every possible idea, she says. She says this is the right one to pursue.
May confirms the government white paper on Brexit will be published on Thursday.
May says her proposals are consistent with what the Conservative manifesto promised.
She goes on:
What we are proposing is challenging for the EU.
That triggers laughter.
She says her plan would require the EU to think again.
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.
She says some people have said the UK would not be able to strike trade deals under her plan. That is wrong, she says.