[ad_1]
British Prime Minister Theresa May's secretary for the Brexit has resigned, signaling the turmoil in her government's plans to leave the country of the European Union.
"I think the proposed regulatory regime for Northern Ireland represents a very real threat to the integrity of the UK," Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter on Thursday.
The pound fell after the announcement, falling 1.2% on the day to $ 1.2821.
On Wednesday, Ms May secured the approval of a Brexit agreement that will allow the UK to maintain close ties with the EU, its largest trading partner, while regaining control of its borders.
However, she met with open hostility towards this project from anti-European members of her own conservative party.
Its project would leave Northern Ireland more closely linked than the rest of the UK to the EU if a broader Brexit agreement on Britain's long-term trade and economic relations could not be concluded.
The resignation jeopardizes this agreement only hours after its signature. If other high-ranking ministers follow Raab's decision, Ms. May could face a daunting challenge to her leadership.
The resignation of Raab, who has pleaded for the United Kingdom to make a clear break with the EU, reflects the challenges that Mrs May faces in getting her Brexit package passed in Parliament.
This took place after a minister from Northern Ireland also withdrew Thursday morning from the draft agreement.
Shailesh Vara said in his resignation letter posted on his Twitter account that he could only subscribe to the agreement that Ms. May had submitted to the cabinet because it leaves the UK in a "transition house without time limit to become a sovereign country. "
Any new resignation of senior officials could give rise to a leadership challenge in the coming days. Such a challenge requires the support of 48 Conservative Party members.
Ms May has to address Parliament on Thursday morning, where she will face tough questions from lawmakers about the Brexit deal.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that her cabinet had approved her plan to withdraw Brexit. May will now have to go to Parliament for approval. Photo: Getty
Ms. May's government does not have a majority in the lower house, which means that the agreement could still be rejected or changed. In such a case, Ms. May risks losing power due to a challenge to management emanating from the ranks of her conservative party.
In his letter of resignation, Mr. Raab wrote that "no democratic country has ever signed to be bound by such a broad, externally imposed regime, without any democratic control over them. laws to apply nor the ability to decide to go out of the arrangement. "
At the same time, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, called on European leaders to meet on 25 November in Brussels to approve Mrs May's plan for Brexit.
-Joanna Sugden contributed to this article.
Corrections & Amplifications
Dominic Raab resigned as secretary of the Brexit UK. An earlier version of this article incorrectly called the Brexit Secretary of the EU. (November 15, 2018)
Write to Laurence Norman at [email protected]
