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U.K. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab Quits Two U.K. Cabinet Ministers, Including Chief Brexit Negotiator, Quit
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain faced a new political crisis on Thursday after Dominic Raab, her chief negotiator on withdrawal from the European Union, quit, a decision that threatens to wreck not only her plans for exit, but also her leadership. LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain faced a deep political crisis on Thursday after two cabinet ministers quit her government, including Dominic Raab, her chief negotiator on withdrawal from the European Union — decisions that threaten to wreck not only her plans for exit, but also her leadership.
The surprise resignation came Thursday morning and followed a tense, five-hour meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday in which ministers reluctantly agreed to sign off on Mrs. May’s draft plans for departure from the European Union, commonly known as Brexit. The surprise resignation of Mr. Raab came Thursday morning and followed a tense, five-hour meeting of the cabinet the previous day in which ministers reluctantly agreed to sign off on Mrs. May’s draft plans for departure from the European Union, commonly known as Brexit.
Mr. Raab’s departure was not only unexpected but also deeply damaging to Mrs. May’s authority, increasing the risk that she might face a leadership challenge from rebel Conservative lawmakers.Mr. Raab’s departure was not only unexpected but also deeply damaging to Mrs. May’s authority, increasing the risk that she might face a leadership challenge from rebel Conservative lawmakers.
Although a hard-line Brexit supporter, Mr. Raab had been a core member of the cabinet, and his presence reassured hard-line pro-Brexit lawmakers. Shortly afterward, a second cabinet minister, Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, resigned as well, adding to the turmoil.
Although a hard-line Brexit supporter, Mr. Raab had been a core member of the cabinet, and his presence reassured other hard-line pro-Brexit lawmakers.
In his letter of resignation, Mr. Raab said that he “cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made.”In his letter of resignation, Mr. Raab said that he “cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made.”
His decision could influence other pro-Brexit cabinet ministers, at least two of whom were known to be on the verge of resigning late Wednesday. That in turn makes it less likely that Mrs. May’s draft deal could be approved by Parliament.
With minutes of the announcement, the pound dropped one percent against the dollar.With minutes of the announcement, the pound dropped one percent against the dollar.
Ms. McVey’s departure, though damaging, was less of a surprise.
Another cabinet minister, Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, was also reportedly reconsidering her position after a cabinet debate that Mrs. May described diplomatically as “impassioned.” As many as 10 cabinet ministers were reported to have voiced reservations.
The crisis is a grave one for Mrs. May, who addressed lawmakers to sell her deal in Parliament on Thursday morning. Even before the resignations, Mrs. May knew she would struggle to gain support from lawmakers for her draft deal.
Iain Duncan Smith, a leading Conservative Brexit supporter and former party leader, told the BBC that the effect of Mr. Raab’s resignation would be “devastating,” because it suggested that the Brexit secretary’s concerns had been ignored, despite his pivotal position in government and in withdrawal negotiations.
Such is the unhappiness from around the party at Mrs. May’s draft deal that the calculation of those who want to oust her might change.
It would take requests from 48 Conservative lawmakers to secure a vote of no confidence in Mrs. May. Though the hard-line pro-Brexit faction has that number, it has held back so far because it does not believe that it has enough support to topple her.
To oust her as prime minister would require a majority of Conservative lawmakers — at least 158 — voting to force her out.
Britons voted in a 2016 referendum to quit the European Union, but since then Mrs. May’s Conservatives have been split between those who want to keep some close economic ties to the bloc, to protect the economy, and others who want a cleaner break.
Worryingly for Mrs. May, many of her enemies are converging around the view that the compromise she has crafted carefully is the worst of both worlds, leaving Britain without a voice in the European Union but still subject to many of its trade rules. Several leading Brexit supporters have characterized it as worse than membership of the bloc that they find so objectionable.
The focus of the discord has been around plans to ensure that, whatever happens in future trade talks, there should be no physical checks at the border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and Ireland, a European Union member state.
Under the so-called backstop plan that is part of the draft deal, the whole of the United Kingdom would remain in a customs union with the European Union until future trade plans that negated the need for border checks were worked out.
But Northern Ireland would be subject to more of the European Union’s regulatory processes than the rest of the country, a fact that Mr. Raab said “prevents a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom.”
He also objected to the fact that Britain could not unilaterally leave the backstop, a move that would clear a path to exit a customs union and pursue trade deals with other countries.
Mr. Raab’s departure had been preceded by the resignation of Shailesh Vara, a junior Northern Ireland minister who quit earlier Thursday morning.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels shortly before Mr. Raab’s announcement, Michel Barnier, the top European Union negotiator, and Donald Tusk, the head of the European Council, said they would call a summit for Nov. 25, where leaders of the bloc’s member states could endorse the deal.
Mr. Tusk said that the accord that was approved by the British cabinet the previous night met two crucial objectives: It limited the damage caused by Brexit, and it protected the vital interests of the 27 remaining members states and the European Union as a whole.
“We have always said Brexit is a lose-lose situation and these negotiations were always about damage control,” he said.
Mr. Barnier said that the coming days, in which the focus will be on finalizing a political declaration outlining the future relationship between Britain and the European Union, would be “intense,” adding that “we have no time to lose.” Brexit is scheduled to take effect on March 29.
However, European Union officials have made it clear that they were scheduling the summit on the assumption that turbulence within Mrs. May’s party would not paralyze or overwhelm her government.