CGTN America
Britain has a new top diplomat after a dramatic 24 hour period that plunged the country’s government into crisis.
Prime Minister Theresa May has tapped Jeremy Hunt to become the U.K.’s new Foreign Secretary.
Welcome Foreign Secretary @Jeremy_Hunt pic.twitter.com/8wiJZ6nXOC
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) July 9, 2018
The change at the top comes hours after Boris Johnson resigned from the post. Johnson was the second high-profile cabinet member to step-down, rather than accept the Prime Minister’s plan for leaving the European Union.
CGTN’s Richard Bestic explains the political turmoil.
Out he goes, Boris Johnson departing as Foreign Secretary with a withering last shot – claiming the U.K.’s Brexit plan, agreed to only last Friday, would give ‘Britain the status of a colony.’
I am proud to have served as Foreign Secretary. It is with sadness that I step down: here is my letter explaining why. pic.twitter.com/NZXzUZCjdF
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 9, 2018
But Prime Minister Theresa May is sticking to her controversial Brexit plan despite the departure of two senior cabinet ministers within two days. The first minister to go was David Davis, the point man in Brussels, claiming May’s plan means sticking to EU rules and regulations.
PM @Theresa_May and Brexit Secretary @DavidDavisMP today signed commemorative copies of the EU (Withdrawal) Act for each of the ministers who worked on this crucial piece of Brexit legislation. pic.twitter.com/mPJ3X9TnKR
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 28, 2018
But it was Boris Johnson’s departure which triggered full-on talk of a leadership challenge. Boris Johnson, the face of Brexit during the referendum campaign two years ago, credited with winning the campaign for Leave.
In the British Parliament many are unhappy with May’s new ‘Chequers’ plan and that could leave her vulnerable to a challenge. Opposition leaders in Parliament say these resignations have created chaos. And, it’s difficult to disagree as the damage done is immense, triggering a possible leadership challenge. The UK could soon be asking Brussels for more time.
