Transport minister Jo Johnson has resigned from the government saying he cannot support the government’s proposed Brexit deal and calling for a public vote on the plan.
In a statement, he said: “The first option is the one the Government is proposing: an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in the EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business. The second option is a ‘no deal’ Brexit that I know as a Transport Minister will inflict untold damage on our nation.”
Johnson, who is the brother of former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, said: “It is now my intention to vote against this Withdrawal Agreement.
“On this most crucial of questions, I believe it is entirely right to go back to the people and ask them to confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, to give them the final say on whether we leave with the Prime Minister’s deal or without it.”