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A key member of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Cabinet resigned on Saturday night, adding to the chaos in a government that has already faced opposition from his own legislators and voters this week.
After a publication claimed that he planned to quit the role next month, Brexit Minister David Frost indicated in a letter to Johnson that he was stepping down immediately.
The process of exiting the EU, according to Frost, will take a long time. “That is why, earlier this month, we agreed that I would leave in January and pass the torch to others to manage our future relationship with the EU,” he wrote in his resignation letter.
However, according to the Mail on Sunday, he quit due to growing dissatisfaction with Johnson’s policies. Frost’s decision, according to the newspaper, was prompted by the implementation of new pandemic restrictions last week, which included requiring people to produce proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to attend nightclubs and other packed events.
The news comes after Johnson’s Conservative Party suffered a surprise setback in a by-election in North Shropshire, a long-time Conservative bastion. In the House of Commons earlier this week, 99 Conservative legislators voted against so-called vaccine passports, the worst rebellion in Johnson’s 2 1/2 years as prime minister.
Johnson is not up to the job, according to Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, because the omicron variant causes an increase in coronavirus infections.
“A government in shambles just as the country prepares for a tumultuous few weeks? Rayner posted a tweet. “We are entitled to better than this nonsense.? Even several members of Johnson’s own party joined in.
To deliver on the promises and discipline of a true Conservative administration, the prime minister is running out of time and friends,? Conservative member Andrew Bridgen tweeted. “Lord Frost has stated it clearly, as have 100 Conservative legislators, but most importantly, the people of North Shropshire have stated it clearly.?”
As Johnson’s government sought to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, Frost spearheaded talks with the EU.
His departure comes after the UK recently changed its stance in negotiations with the EU over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade rules. Many people were surprised by Britain’s shift in tone because it appeared to be at conflict with the uncompromising stance of Brexit Minister “Frosty the No Man.”
Johnson’s administration is also facing criticism after allegations surfaced that officials hosted Christmas parties last year despite epidemic guidelines prohibiting such meetings.
Johnson’s issues with the so-called “partygate” affair were exacerbated when his nominee to examine the allegations had to resign because he, too, was linked to such groups.
After the Guido Fawkes website published on Friday that his department hosted two parties in December 2020, Simon Case, the head of the civil service, stepped aside from the probe.
When a video of a simulated press conference circulated, some of Johnson’s team appeared to criticise a party that had broken the pandemic rules, the scandal exploded. Until then, the prime minister had adamantly denied that any government officials had violated any lockdown regulations.
One of Case’s department’s events, the Cabinet Office, was posted in digital calendars as “Christmas party!” and was planned by a member of Case’s team, according to The Times of London newspaper on Saturday.
The event, according to the Cabinet Office, was a virtual quiz in which a small group of people who worked in the same office competed from their desks.
“The Cabinet Secretary did not participate in the event but strolled past the team’s office on his way to his own,” the office stated in a statement. “There were no outside visitors or other members of the staff invited or present.” The event lasted an hour, during which attendees purchased drinks and food. Before leaving the workplace, he spoke briefly with the personnel.”
