Brexit aftermath: Yet another British minister calls it quits

LONDON: As British Prime Minister Theresa May met G-20 leaders in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday, yet another UK minister – universities and science minister Sam Gyimah – tendered his resignation in protest against the Brexit deal.

Gyimah became the tenth minister to quit on this issue since July.

May’s version of Brexit in July triggered a wave of resignations, including those of two cabinet ministers heading the Brexit department: David Davis and Dominic Raab.

The draft withdrawal agreement, which was recently okayed by the European Council, faces strong opposition in the British Parliament next week.

At least two Indian-origin MPs have also declared their intention to vote against the agreement: May’s former minister Shailesh Vara and senior Labour MP Virendra Sharma.

Priti Patel, another former minister, may join their ranks.

Justine Greening, a former member of May’s cabinet, described Gyimah as a "highly respected and capable minister" after he set out the reasons for resigning in a Facebook post and announced that he would vote against the agreement.

The main reason for his resignation, Gyimah wrote, is the May government’s decision to pull out of talks over Galileo, the EU strategic navigation system vital for security requirements. The UK has invested 1.4 billion Euros in the project so far.

He wrote, “The government is finally pulling out of frustrating negotiations over Galileo… The PM is right to call time on a negotiation that was stacked against us from the very beginning. But Galileo is only a foretaste of what’s to come under the government’s Brexit deal.”

He also wrote, “Having surrendered our voice, our vote and our veto, we will have to rely on the best endeavours of the EU to strike a final agreement that works in our national interest. As a minister with the responsibility for space technology, I have seen firsthand the EU stack the deck against us time and again, even while the ink was drying on the transition deal.

“Galileo is a clarion call that it will be ‘EU first’, and to think otherwise - whether you are a leaver or remainer - is at best incredibly naive.”

May has announced that the UK will explore the possibility of an indigenous alternative to the Galileo project and has allocated a budget for it, saying, "I cannot let our armed services depend on a system we cannot be sure of. That would not be in our national interest."