The Stream

Is the ‘dream’ of Brexit over?

Resignation of British foreign secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit minister David Davis throws government into chaos.

“Brexit should be about opportunity and hope,” wrote former British foreign secretary Boris Johnson in a resignation letter to Prime Minister Theresa May. “That dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt.”

Johnson – one of the country’s leading Brexit advocates – stepped down on Monday after the resignations of Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis and deputy secretary Steve Baker. Johnson and Davis attacked the manner in which May has so far negotiated the UK’s exit from the EU, underlining divisions in the ruling Conservative Party over the nature of the Brexit deal the UK should pursue with Europe.

To some critics, the abrupt departures reinforce criticism that the government has no idea about how to actually achieve Brexit. May’s supporters now reportedly worry that more ministers could go and a no-confidence vote could be triggered.

The Stream explores the political fallout of the resignations and what they mean for both the future of Theresa May’s government and Brexit. 

 

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with: 

 

Mete Coban @metecoban92

CEO, My Life My Say

 

Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson @AmandaCC92

Co-Founder, For Our Future’s Sake

 

Jonathan Portes @jdportes

Professor of Economics, King’s College London

 

Read more:

Boris Johnson quits as UK foreign secretary amid Brexit crisis – Al Jazeera
Brexit betrayed or the end of May: What does David Davis’s resignation mean? – Reuters
Boris Johnson’s Borexit Makes Brexit Even More Chaotic – Bloomberg

What do you think? Record your thoughts here, or leave a comment in the section below.