Boris Johnson Suffers Another Blow As Top UK Minister Quits Over Brexit

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a fresh blow on Saturday when senior minister Amber Rudd quit her post of work and pensions secretary in protest at his handling of the Brexit crisis.

"I have resigned from Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative Whip," Rudd tweeted.

"I cannot stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled," she said referring to Johnson's decision to expel 21 MPs from the Conservative party for voting against the government. These 21 Tory MPS had backed a parliamentary bill to stop a no-deal Brexit.

In her resignation letter, she accused the prime minister of "an assault on decency and democracy" and "an act of political vandalism".

These MPs had been stripped of the whip from Conservative party which means explusion from the party.

Rudd said: "This short-sighted culling of my colleagues has stripped the party of broad-minded and dedicated Conservative MPs. I cannot support this act of political vandalism."

Rudd’s decision follows the resignation from the cabinet of Johnson’s own brother, Jo Johnson on Thursday.

Rudd told Johnson she had joined his cabinet "in good faith accepting that no deal had to be on the table". She added: "However, I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective."

This is the latest bad news for Johnson in desperate week for the new prime minister. A cross-party group of MPs had earlier succeeded in voting through a bill to block a no-deal Brexit. 

Rudd has also surrendered her whip which means she will not be able to stand as a Conservative party candidate in the next election. She has represented Hastings and Rye since 2010 and has one of the smallest majorities in the country, with only 346 votes separating her from her Labour rival in 2017.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Amber Rudd was work and pensions secretary in Boris Johnson cabinet.
• Amber Rudd has also surrendered Conservative Party whip.
• Rudd’s resignation follows that of Johnson’s own brother, Jo Johnson