UK minister quits before Johnson becomes PM

A UK minister and critic of Boris Johnson quit on Monday, the latest resignation before the presumed new PM takes office with a “do or die” pledge to leave the EU with or without a deal. The resignation of Alan Duncan, a junior foreign office minister, underlines the strength of feeling in the governing Conservative Party and parliament against a no-deal Brexit which many businesses say would be catastrophic for the economy.
With economic growth stalling — the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said on Monday there was a one-in-four chance the Brexit crisis has already tipped Britain into recession — many lawmakers are concerned. Duncan follows Margot James, who stepped down as a culture minister last week, describing as “quite incredible” Johnson’s promise to leave the EU by October 31 with or without a divorce deal. On Sunday, finance minister Philip Hammond also said that he would resign.
In his resignation letter, Duncan said: “The UK does so much good in the world. It is tragic that just when we could have been the dominant intellectual and political force throughout Europe, and beyond, we have had to spend every day working beneath the dark cloud of Brexit.”