U.K.'s top Brexit official quits in protest


Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned on Sunday, leaving British Prime Minister Theresa May without the most senior official in charge of negotiating an exit from the European Union.
On Friday, May said her plan for Brexit had the backing of her government, but in his resignation letter, Davis said the proposals for future trade "will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one." May's government is now on shaky ground, with two other ministers from the Department for Exiting the European Union following Davis' lead and also resigning Sunday.
Davis was strongly pro-Brexit, and May wrote in a response to his letter that she was sorry to see him go "when we are only eight months from the date set in law when the United Kingdom will leave the European Union."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Roofman: a ‘stranger than fiction’ tale
The Week Recommends Channing Tatum walks ‘effortlessly’ between comedy and tragedy
-
Political cartoons for October 23
Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include Mike Johnson's pumpkin patch, great news for crypto scammers, and a suspicious white sheet
-
The UK-made Storm Shadow missiles Ukraine is using in Russia
The Explainer Ukraine reportedly deployed the long-range British missiles this week, following a tense meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump
-
Trump demands millions from his administration
Speed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leak
Speed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroom
speed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deployment
Speed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois