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News > United Kingdom

Another British Minister Resigns Ahead of New PM Taking Office

  • Britain's Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan

    Britain's Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan | Photo: Reuters

Published 22 July 2019
Opinion

Several British ministers have resigned within the past week from their posts ahead of the new Prime Minister taking office in London. 

A British minister announced his intention to resign from his post before the country’s presumed new Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes office.

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Alan Duncan, a junior foreign office minister who has long been critical of Johnson, announced his resignation from his post on Monday, following a number of ministers who left their positions before the new Prime Minister takes their seat at Parliament.

His move follows last week’s resignation of Margot James, a culture minister when she described Johnson’s do-or-die promise to leave the EU by Oct. 31 with, or without, a deal as “quite incredible” for going against business organizations.

On Sunday, finance minister Philip Hammond also said he would resign rather than be sacked by Johnson, promising to fight with others in parliament to stop a no-deal Brexit.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed that Duncan had resigned.

If the polls and bookmakers are right, Johnson will become Britain’s new prime minister on Wednesday and will immediately face the riddle that is Britain’s Brexit negotiation.

Johnson, a former London mayor, has said he will ramp up preparations for a no-deal exit to try to force the EU’s negotiators to make changes to the agreement that Prime Minister Theresa May sealed and British lawmakers voted down three times.

But opposition in parliament to leaving without a deal is growing and the EU is refusing to budge over the withdrawal agreement.

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