May, minus top ally, visits Poland in attempt to find common ground

UK PRIME Minister Theresa May arrived in Poland yesterday to attempt to get close – but not too close – to its new government, as she sought to move the agenda forward after firing her closest political ally.

May was forced to tell First Secretary of State Damian Green to resign on Wednesday afternoon after an inquiry into his behaviour found he’d made misleading statements over pornography found on his parliamentary computer by police nearly a decade ago.

Green is the third cabinet minister to quit in two months.

A few recent Brexit-related successes mean the prime minister is better equipped to handle Green’s departure than she might have been a month ago: the EU has agreed to move negotiations on to the next phase, and late on Wednesday, May’s flagship Brexit Bill completed the detailed scrutiny stage of its journey through the House of Commons. Still, Green’s departure leaves her without her closest ally in the cabinet.

The flight to Warsaw gave May a chance to consider how she will manage without him. In the short term at least, she’s not likely to appoint a new deputy.

The position of first secretary of state was tied to Green, because he was a close and trusted friend as well as someone who understood and shared May’s political agenda, one official said.

May took her most senior ministers with her to Poland for a summit where she’s promising co-operation on defence and security. – Bloomberg