Parliamentary rebellion over Brexit could mean time running out for PM

LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain faced a deep political crisis on Thursday after two Cabinet ministers quit her government, including Dominic Raab, her chief negotiator on withdrawal from the European Union — decisions that threaten to wreck not only her plans for the exit but also her leadership.

The surprise resignation of Raab on Thursday followed a tense, five-hour meeting of the Cabinet the previous day, during which ministers reluctantly agreed to sign off on May’s draft plans for departure from the European Union, a process known as Brexit.

Raab’s departure was not only unexpected but also deeply damaging to May’s authority, increasing the risk that she might face a leadership challenge from rebel lawmakers inside her own Conservative Party.

Shortly after his announcement, Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, resigned, adding to the turmoil.

The crisis is a grave one for May, who knew even before the resignations that she would struggle to win Parliamentary approval.

“What we agreed yesterday was not the final deal,” she said. “It is a draft treaty that means that we will leave the EU in a smooth and orderly way on the 29th of March, 2019, and which sets the framework for a future relationship that delivers in our national interest.”

She added that the deal “delivers in ways that many said could simply not be done.” It would put in place a transitional relationship with the European Union through the end of 2020, while a permanent arrangement is negotiated.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, called May’s agreement “a leap in the dark, an illdefined deal by a never-defined date.”