(FILES) In this file photo taken on June 5, 2018 Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt arrives at 10 Downing Street in central London for the weekly cabinet meeting.
Jeremy Hunt has been named as Britain's Foreign secretary on July 9, 2018 following the resignation of Boris Johnson. / AFP PHOTO / Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson quit on Monday over Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to leave the European Union, the second resignation in a day leaving the British leader’s Brexit plans all but in tatters.
After a day when the foreign secretary cancelled meetings for crisis talks at his official residence in central London, Johnson decided to walk from his job – just hours after May’s Brexit minister David Davis did the same in protest at her plans.
The two resignations leave May badly exposed at the top of a government unable to unite over Britain’s biggest foreign and trading policy shift in almost half a decade.
Business friendly Brexit
It also puts a question mark over whether the leader will try to weather it and stand firm in her commitment to pursue a “business friendly” Brexit, or will be faced with more resignations and calls to quit herself.
I am proud to have served as Foreign Secretary. It is with sadness that I step down: here is my letter explaining why. pic.twitter.com/NZXzUZCjdF
The departures raise the stakes for May, who secured a hard-won agreement with her deeply divided cabinet of ministers on Friday to keep the closest possible trading ties with the EU.
Many eurosceptics are angry, saying the agreed strategy betrays her promise for a clean break with the EU, raising the prospect that some could try to unseat her.
Jeremy Hunt named new foreign minister
British Health Minister Jeremy Hunt will replace Boris Johnson as Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said on Monday following Johnson’s dramatic resignation over the government’s strategy for Brexit.
“The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of… Jeremy Hunt MP as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,” Downing Street said in a statement.
