Europe

UK Brexit Secretary And Other Ministers Resign Over Deal

The resignations all came after U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said her Cabinet approved a draft Brexit agreement Wednesday.

UK Brexit Secretary And Other Ministers Resign Over Deal
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Less than one day after U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet approved a draft Brexit agreement, her Brexit secretary has abruptly resigned in protest.

Dominic Raab said Thursday that he couldn't support the agreement, writing in his resignation letter, "I cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto at the last election. This is, at its heart, a matter of public trust."

Raab has only served as Brexit secretary since July. He replaced David Davis, who similarly resigned in protest over a Brexit proposal to use a "common rulebook" to allow the free trade of goods between the U.K. and the EU.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey swiftly followed Raab out the door Thursday — making her the second Cabinet minister to quit over the withdrawal agreement.

But it's not just senior officials who are resigning — two junior ministers also quit.

It's unclear if all these resignations will affect the terms of the Brexit deal. May is scheduled to lay out the agreement to the House of Commons Thursday. And EU member states are expected to meet Nov. 25 in Brussels to finalize the deal.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN