Our message to warring politicians over Brexit mess as England prepare to take on Croatia
WARRING Tories left Theresa May fighting for her Premiership over Brexit — as the rest of the country prepared for England’s biggest World Cup match in decades.
The Sun backed fans who begged the politicians to get a grip as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson resigned just 15 hours after Brexit Secretary David Davis quit.
The PM moved Jeremy Hunt from Health Secretary to replace Boris.
But John Hemmingham, trumpeter in the England Supporters Band in Moscow, summed up the feelings of millions of working people when he said: “Surely this week of all weeks we have to focus on football and get behind Gareth Southgate and the lads?
“We’re one game from our first World Cup Final since 1966 — that’s what matters to us. Nothing else.”
In his resignation letter, Mr Johnson said Mrs May’s blueprint for a “soft” Brexit, thrashed out at Chequers last week, would make Britain “a colony” of the EU.
He warned her the Brexit “dream is dying.”
But Mrs May faced down demands that she must dump her blueprint — or face being ousted.
She insisted she will fight any leadership challenge. During another tumultuous day in Westminster:
- News of Boris’s resignation came minutes before Mrs May faced a Commons grilling over her soft Brexit plans.
- He accused her of being been “suffocated by self doubt.”
- Mr Davis said he quit after realising he could not sell the Prime Minister’s plan because he did not believe in it.
- EU leaders mocked the double resignation, claiming it may mean the end of Brexit.
- US Ambassador Woody Johnson warned Mrs May’s plan meant a US trade deal is “totally up in the air”.
- Leave campaigner Dominic Raab replaced outgoing Brexit Secretary David Davis in the Cabinet
- Junior government aides, Conor Burns and Chris Green, also quit.
- Attorney General Jeremy Wright replaced Mr Hancock at Culture while key Boris ally Kit Malthouse became Housing Minister
Brexiteer Tories were left split on whether to try to oust Mrs May.
She was cheered during a make or break speech to a packed 1922 Committee meeting of Tory backbenchers and ministers.
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