He should have gone long ago, but May was too weak to axe him

DAMIAN Green should have resigned weeks ago. There is nothing in his resignation letter which could not have been written when the allegations against him were first raised.

He admits he caused distress to Kate Maltby, who accused him of inappropriate behaviour. And he admits he gave a misleading response when it emerged the police had found pornography on his office computer.

What was a resignation offence now was a resignation offence then. His departure was delayed for two reasons: he refused to act with honour and Theresa May was too weak to sack him.

This is why he is leaving government under the cover of the Christmas holiday. The timing of the announcement has been carefully calibrated to minimise the embarrassment to Mrs May. It points not to a leader in control of events, but one so debilitated she will do anything to avoid being at the mercy of them.

While Mr Green’s resignation is a personal humiliation - though not as humiliating as it is for his family – it is also a political blow for Mrs May. She has lost her oldest friend in politics – she was a university buddy of Mr Green and his wife Alicia – and her closest friend in Cabinet. Crucially, the loss of pro-European Mr Green upsets the fragile balance in Cabinet between the Remainers and Leavers.

Losing Green hands the hard Brexiteers an advantage, and could affect how the next crucial stage of our negotiations pan out.

Once again, we are reminded of the fragility of Mrs May’s leadership. In the last few weeks she has tried to persuade voters she has recovered from her disastrous conference speech, the double resignations of Michael Fallon and Priti Patel, and her capitulation to Brussels on the divorce bill.

Now, we have another reminder that this is a Government beset by the midwinter blues and unable to shake off its reputation for incompetence.