UK minister quits before Johnson becomes PM, decries 'dark cloud' of Brexit

[snoop1130]

UK minister quits before Johnson becomes PM, decries 'dark cloud' of Brexit

By William James, Elizabeth Piper

 

Minister of State for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan attends a news conference in Victoria Gardens, Westminster, after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody following the Ecuadorian government's withdrawal of asylum, in London, Britain April 11, 2019. Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A minister and longstanding critic of Boris Johnson quit on Monday, the latest resignation before the presumed new prime minister takes office with a “do or die” pledge to take Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.

 

The resignation of Alan Duncan, a junior foreign office minister, underlines the strength of feeling in the governing Conservative Party and parliament against a no-deal Brexit which many businesses say would be catastrophic for the economy.

 

He follows Margot James, who stepped down as culture minister last week, describing as “quite incredible” Johnson’s promise to leave the EU by Oct. 31 regardless of whether a deal was in place to smooth the process. Business organisations that are traditional allies of the Conservative Party have repeatedly warned against such a scenario.

 

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 rupture in relations with the EU, the country’s biggest trading partner.

 

In his resignation letter, Duncan said: “The UK does so much good in the world. It is tragic that just when we could have been the dominant intellectual and political force throughout Europe, and beyond, we have had to spend every day working beneath the dark cloud of Brexit.”

 

He pointedly noted that he had worked with “two very different foreign secretaries” — Johnson and his rival to become prime minister, Jeremy Hunt.

 

His decision to step down comes as little surprise. Duncan has shown no reticence in criticising Johnson, his former boss at the foreign office, once describing him as a “circus act”.

 

Earlier this month, he attacked Johnson for not defending Britain’s former ambassador to the United States after a leak of his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Duncan said Johnson had “basically thrown our top diplomat under the bus”.

 

Several other ministers are expected to leave their posts if, as expected, Johnson becomes Britain’s new prime minister on Wednesday. The man who led the “Leave” campaign in the 2016 EU referendum will then 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.

 

On Sunday, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said “we’ll all be in trouble” if the new prime minister wanted to tear up the agreement to try to get rid of the so-called Northern Irish backstop, an insurance policy to prevent a return of a hard border between the British province and EU member Ireland.

 

“We hope that the backstop that many in the UK don’t seem to like can be avoided,” Coveney told the BBC. “(But) we are simply not going to move away from that withdrawal agreement.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-2

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[Loiner]

Boris will kick the Remainer naysayers out of his cabinet anyway. That’s their dark cloud.
Alan Duncan’s departure will be fairly unnoticeable. Hammond’s will be a bigger deal but a move in the right direction.


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[billd766]

[Loiner]

 

 
“We hope that the backstop that many in the UK don’t seem to like can be avoided,” Coveney told the BBC. “(But) we are simply not going to move away from that withdrawal agreement.”
  

The Irish will be in bigger trouble than anybody else. He’d better talk to his boss, who was starting to crack at the weekend.
Their Withdrawal Agreement is dead and buried. Three times, with record defeats by both sides of the house. If they are not moving away from it, they can’t sit by its’ graveside and lament.

[vogie]

 

Mr Morality Alan Duncan gloating over his MPs expenses, good riddance.

[Thairealist]

16 minutes ago, Loiner said:

 

 
“We hope that the backstop that many in the UK don’t seem to like can be avoided,” Coveney told the BBC. “(But) we are simply not going to move away from that withdrawal agreement.”
  

The Irish will be in bigger trouble than anybody else. He’d better talk to his boss, who was starting to crack at the weekend.
Their Withdrawal Agreement is dead and buried. Three times, with record defeats by both sides of the house. If they are not moving away from it, they can’t sit by its’ graveside and lament.

 

 This is Ian Duncan Smith, explaining just last Sunday, how and why the Irish backstop is a non event,unless the E.U makes it so.

And perhaps to that end,the E.U. Are promising to pay the Irish government multi millions in the event of a no deal. This from a greatly decreased budget, after they no longer receive the U.K’s contributions.

 

 

[sammieuk1]

He might well have more problems after another oink has been charged with sex offences that wafer thin DUP majority is balancing on Arlene Fosters penis right now????

[fishtank]

The first of many.

UK is now in recession.

 

Good work Boris. 

[bert bloggs]

5 minutes ago, fishtank said:

The first of many.

UK is now in recession.

 

Good work Boris. 

no its not ,utter bull

[wreckingcountry]

no its not ,utter bull

Fishtank doesn’t know definition of “recession “ ! He actually thinks growth and low unemployment is recession ! Poor education I guess


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[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

no its not ,utter bull

Recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters. 

 

Seems simple to figure.  Is it or isn't it?

[HeyHeyHey]

Go Johnson! Make UK great again.

 

Those who are leaving - who cares anyway? Good

[tomacht8]

Interesting how a country can disassemble itself, and how long it will take to regain planning security, good sense and realism.

[Thairealist]

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

Interesting how a country can disassemble itself, and how long it will take to regain planning security, good sense and realism.

 

 

 The country has not disassembled itself, that honour goes to those remainders who fully intend to sabotage the decision taken by the electorate. Unfortunately they’re so engulfed in their own superiority, they have not worked out, how the country would react, if their selfishness was achieved.

[damascase]

5 hours ago, Thairealist said:

 

 

 The country has not disassembled itself, that honour goes to those remainders who fully intend to sabotage the decision taken by the electorate. Unfortunately they’re so engulfed in their own superiority, they have not worked out, how the country would react, if their selfishness was achieved.

I was sure it would come up: it’s the fault of the remainers! Now waiting for the unelected EU burocrats to be blamed as well!

[alanrchase]

12 hours ago, Thairealist said:

 

 This is Ian Duncan Smith, explaining just last Sunday, how and why the Irish backstop is a non event,unless the E.U makes it so.

And perhaps to that end,the E.U. Are promising to pay the Irish government multi millions in the event of a no deal. This from a greatly decreased budget, after they no longer receive the U.K’s contributions.

 

 

People like Smith and Johnson amuse me. They say they would leave on a no deal. However they also say if we leave on a no deal we will need cooperation from the EU for some time after. In other words some sort of deal.

[arithai12]

9 hours ago, Thairealist said:

 

 

 The country has not disassembled itself, that honour goes to those remainders who fully intend to sabotage the decision taken by the electorate. Unfortunately they’re so engulfed in their own superiority, they have not worked out, how the country would react, if their selfishness was achieved.

3 hours ago, damascase said:

I was sure it would come up: it’s the fault of the remainers! Now waiting for the unelected EU burocrats to be blamed as well!

Ah but you misread, he said "remainders". Mystery finally explained, the pound is going down the drain because of the remainders, the fraction left over when a number is divided by another. All that loose change adds up, and in the end the poor folks at the exchangebooth are left short-changed.

[blazes]

12 hours ago, vogie said:

 

Mr Morality Alan Duncan gloating over his MPs expenses, good riddance.

 

Brilliant digging!!!  This one little clip shows better than all the accusations and counter-accusations of the last three years in Britain why 17 million people said "enough is enough....if this arrogant sod is in favour of Remain, I'll vote for the other lot...."

[OneMoreFarang]

Boris is probably fun telling jokes and behaving silly at a party.

But telling jokes and behaving silly is not what is required of a PM.

I wonder how long the Brits will need to figure that out.

[vogie]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Boris is probably fun telling jokes and behaving silly at a party.

But telling jokes and behaving silly is not what is required of a PM.

I wonder how long the Brits will need to figure that out.

Jean Claude Juncker has got away with it for long enough, why not Boris?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, vogie said:

Jean Claude Juncker has got away with it for long enough, why not Boris?

Juncker was and is part of the EU. They still have some straight thinking people there.

But with Boris...

[transam]

4 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Boris is probably fun telling jokes and behaving silly at a party.

But telling jokes and behaving silly is not what is required of a PM.

I wonder how long the Brits will need to figure that out.

Well it's better than countries where their leaders spout continuous crap eh...

[vogie]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Juncker was and is part of the EU. They still have some straight thinking people there.

But with Boris...

When someone can't see beyond the end of their nose, they are either blind or in denial.

[transam]

Just now, OneMoreFarang said:

Juncker was and is part of the EU. They still have some straight thinking people there.

But with Boris...

The EU does need numbers so it can have your "some", UK don't need numbers, except the  civilian numbers that are taking us out of a dodgy EU setup..

[elmrfudd]

do not let the door hit ya

[david555]

19 minutes ago, vogie said:

When someone can't see beyond the end of their nose, they are either blind or in denial.

Do i sense finally some brexiteers self-knowledge here ? ????

[JonnyF]

Good riddance Duncan.

 

Hammond, see that guy skulking off over there? Follow him.

[stephenterry]

On the assumption that Johnson becomes PM, owing to Tory defections to the Lib Dems, he'll have to prove to the Queen he can command the confidence of parliament on a minority basis and DUP support.

 

He won't lose an immediate vote of no confidence, though, IMO, because he could use that to prorogue parliament and therefore see the UK leave without a deal. 

 

If that occurs, might as well say goodbye to the UK, the economy, devaluation of the pound, etc. etc. which no doubt would please the minority leavers who will blame everything and everyone else for the upcoming disaster ND Brexit would bring.  

 

One bright spot is that Ursula von der Leyen will take up her role as EU president on November 1st, who seems willing enough to agree a deal with the UK, as has been happening now, and before Johnson arrives to mess it all up. 

 

Interesting times. Sell off all UK assets ASAP and get the hell out of hell.

  

 

  

[wombat]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

before the presumed new prime minister takes office with a “do or die” pledge to take Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.

the day democracy died.

[flossie35]

12 hours ago, Thairealist said:

 

 

 The country has not disassembled itself, that honour goes to those remainders who fully intend to sabotage the decision taken by the electorate. Unfortunately they’re so engulfed in their own superiority, they have not worked out, how the country would react, if their selfishness was achieved.

A realist should know a. that the referendum was consultative, and decided nothing; and b. that had it decided anything it would have been declared null and void because of the fraud. On top of that all evidence suggests that any sort of brexit would leave us worse off economically and isolated politically. A realist ought to realise these things and stop advocating a national disaster.