Boris Johnson has resigned as Foreign Secretary amid a growing political crisis over the UK’s Brexit strategy.
He is the second senior cabinet minister to quit within hours following Brexit Secretary David Davis’s exit.
His departure came shortly before Theresa May began addressing Parliament about her new Brexit plan, which has angered many Conservative MPs.
Johnson and his allies are particularly concerned about the risk that Britain’s ability to strike trade deals with non-EU countries will be severely limited under the Chequers approach
Pressure on the foreign secretary had been mounting since fellow pro-Brexiter David Davis resigned as Brexit secretary on Sunday night, swiftly followed by his No 2 at the Department for Exiting the EU, Steve Baker.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “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.”
Friends said Johnson had been finalising his resignation letter, but Downing Street announced his departure before he had completed it.
Johnson’s resignation was announced on Monday afternoon as Labour MPs were being briefed about the government’s soft Brexit plan by May’s de facto deputy, David Lidington.
More potential resignations are expected, as speculation was swirling at Westminster about other possible senior Brexiters who are considering their positions.
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