This is Business Insider's live-blog charting the latest developments as May's Brexit deal continues to unravel.
This is Business Insider's politics live-blog charting the latest developments as May's Brexit deal continues to unravel.
LONDON — Theresa May suffered a huge blow to her authority on Thursday as multiple ministers including Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and work & pensions secretary resigned in protest at her Brexit plans.
McVey and Raab's resignations followed a gruelling five-hour Cabinet meeting yesterday at which the prime minister sought to persuade sceptical ministers to support her deal and sell it to backbench MPs. While she claimed yesterday that she had won the support of Cabinet, at least 10 senior ministers were known to retain deep reservations over her draft exit plan.
Raab's announcement has triggered a "domino effect" which means multiple MPs have also followed suit in stepping down from their government positions, including junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman. Follow the latest developments here.
10.20 AM: Tory MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan announces she has resigned as PPS to the education ministers.
She tweeted: "It is with sadness that I have submitted my letter of resignation as PPS to the Education Ministers to the Prime Minister. It has been a joy and a privilege to have served in defence and education."
9.00 AM: Brexit secretary Dominic Raab resigns
Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has resigned in a dramatic blow to Theresa May's authority after saying he cannot "in good conscience" support the prime minister's plan for leaving the EU.
In his letter to the prime minister, Raab — who was closely involved in drafting the agreement — said that he "cannot reconcile the terms of the proposed deal with the promises we made to the country in our manifesto at the last election," adding that it was a "matter of public trust."
He said that plans to keep Northern Ireland attached to EU regulations after Brexit and prevent a hard border posed a "very real threat" to the integrity of the United Kingdom and amounted to an attempt to keep Britain tied to the EU indefinitely.
The prime minister was braced on Thursday morning for more resignations risking the potential break-up of her Cabinet and the end of her premiership.