BOJO'S BROADSIDE
Boris Johnson resignation speech in full – what did the ex-Foreign Secretary say in his Commons statement?
JUST over a week after quitting as Foreign Secretary in dramatic fashion, Boris Johnson made an explosive speech to the House of Commons.
But what did he say in his resignation statement, and why did he leave his position in the Cabinet? Here's what you need to know.
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When did Boris Johnson make his resignation speech?
Boris Johnson would made his resignation speech following Prime Minister's Questions just before 3.00pm on July 18.
He received permission from the Speaker John Bercow to make a brief statement amid speculation that he could use it to savage Theresa May's approach to Brexit.
It could be the launch of a bid to topple her and run again for the Tory leadership, as she clings to power after Labour Brexiteers saved her from a disastrous defeat.
Resignation statements have previously been used by former ministers to inflict a departing blow on prime ministers with whom they have clashed.
Sir Geoffrey Howe's 1990 speech after resigning as Deputy Prime Minister to Margaret Thatcher was widely regarded as kick-starting the process which led to her departure.
Johnson was sitting close to the spot where Howe delivered his devastating address.
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What did Boris Johnson say in his statement?
Johnson claimed that Brexit is not yet doomed as he attacked May's "miserable" Chequers plan during his devastating statement.
"It is not too late to save Brexit," he told the House of Commons.
"We have time in these negotiations, we have changed tack once and we can change again."
"The problem is not that we have failed to make the case for a free trade agreement of the kind spelt out at Lancaster House. We haven't even tried.
"We must try now because we will not get another chance to do it right."
Boris denounced the plan agreed at the PM's country residence and set out in the white paper as a "Brexit in name only" which would leave the UK in a state of "vassalage".
He blasted the Prime Minister for "dithering" in the EU negotiations and allowing "a fog of self-doubt" to descend.
And in a call to arms for an alternative Brexit path, he said: "We need to take one decision now before all others – and that is to believe in this country and what it can do."
When did Boris Johnson resign as Foreign Secretary?
Boris Johnson quit on July 9, 2018, over Theresa May's plan for Brexit.
The Prime Minister's bid is centred on remaining closely aligned to EU rules on manufactured goods.
Shortly after May revealed her plans at Chequers, Johnson backed the plans but later said his support for it was like "polishing a turd".
It was claimed that the PM and Boris had a series of "big rows" in the days leading up to the now infamous Chequers meeting.
In a statement, Boris declared he was "proud" to serve in May's government and thanked the Met Police for looking after him and his family during "demanding circumstances".
However, he blasted his former boss for leading Britain to a "semi-Brexit".
Some, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, backed Johnson, with the backbench Tory saying he would make a "brilliant" prime minister.
However, others slammed him, with Lib Dem MP Layla Moran branding Boris a "poundshop Churchill impressionist" over staged photos of him signing his resignation letter.
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What did Boris Johnson say in his letter?
In his bombshell two-page resignation letter, Johnson accused Mrs May of reducing Britain to the status of an EU “colony”.
He told the PM he could not carry on as Foreign Secretary as he could no longer sing her song.
Boris added: "I have practised the words over the weekend and I find that they stick in the throat."
Describing his "concerns" he said: "The Brexit dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt".
He added: "Brexit should be about opportunity and hope. It should be a chance to do things differently.
"To be more nimble and dynamic, and to maximise the particular advantages of the UK as an open, outward-looking global economy."
The former Foreign Secretary added: "We have postponed crucial decisions — including the preparations for no deal — with the result that we appear to be heading for a semi-Brexit, with large parts of the economy still locked in the EU system, but with no UK control over that system."
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