Brexit minister quits in another body blow for a PM on the ropes
The resignation of one of Boris Johnson’s key lieutenants emerged last night to round off a disastrous week for the embattled Prime Minister.
Cabinet Minister Lord Frost quit with reports claiming he is “disillusioned by the direction of the government” and particularly unhappy about the introduction of Covid passports in England.
The minister, who negotiated Britain’s departure from the EU, is said to have handed in his resignation a week ago, but was persuaded to stay in his post until January. His resignation is another blow for Johnson after a dismal week as more Conservative MPS openly speculate about his future as leader and talk of a potential leadership challenge.
The resignation emerged after a week which saw Johnson’s move to tighten restrictions in England spark a huge revolt of his own backbenchers and the loss of a by-election in North Shropshire, a previously impregnable Tory stronghold.
On Friday night, the civil servant chosen to lead the inquiry into Christmas parties in Downing Street in apparent breach of lockdown rules last December had to stand down because of an event in his own office.
Cabinet Secretary Simon Case quit on Friday night after it emerged a quiz was held in his own department that he had spoken at. Email invites had been headed “Christmas Party.”
Another senior civil servant, Sue Gray, yesterday took charge of the inquiry into three alleged gatherings at Downing Street and the Department for Education in November and December last year, when indoor mixing was banned.
Gray is second permanent secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. She was once described as “the most powerful person you’ve never heard of”.
However, Ian Murray, Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: “Labour made it clear when the investigation was launched the person in charge should be uncompromised and able to make a fair and independent judgment. It’s clear there now needs to be an independent figure leading this probe.”
The inquiry comes after a string of claims about parties and gatherings held across Whitehall while London was under restrictions limiting people from meeting indoors.
Chris Bryant, chair of the Committee on Standards, said the situation over the parties in Whitehall was “farcical” and Downing Street was “completely dysfunctional”. He urged Gray to hand any evidence she found of lawbreaking over to the police.
The Labour MP said: “In the end, the final analysis has to be done by a completely independent person. I think that that should be the police.”
The SNP’S Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, said “having somebody else from the Civil Service marking their own isn’t good enough”.
He added: “It needs to be someone from authority from outwith Government, from outwith the Civil Service. I would suggest that the best way to do that would be by having a judge-led inquiry”.