UK Brexit Minister Dominic Raab Resigns

In a letter published on Twitter, Raab said “I have resigned as Brexit Secretary. I cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal.” 

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey followed an hour later. Junior Northern Ireland minister Shailesh Vara, junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman, and parliamentary private secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan also step down.

Today, I have resigned as Brexit Secretary. I cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the EU. Here is my letter to the PM explaining my reasons, and my enduring respect for her. pic.twitter.com/tf5CUZnnUz

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) 15 November 2018

‏By quitting over May’s compromise position with the European Union on the U.K.’s departure, Raab has lined himself up to stand in a future leadership contest as a Brexit purist - a position popular with a large tranche of Conservative lawmakers and members. It also deprives the prime minister of a key Cabinet voice as she tries to secure parliamentary support for a deal.