Britain’s Brexit Secretary Lord Frost has resigned ‘because he has concerns about the direction the government is taking’.
In a letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Frost, who is conducting the Brexit negotiations, advised him not to impose any more restrictions due to the coronavirus.
In his letter, Frost praised Johnson’s leadership in the Brexit process, stating that he could resign now that Brexit is guaranteed.
However, he stated that he had doubts about the direction the country would take from now on.
Frost emphasized that he is worried about the decisions taken by the government regarding Covid, and stated that the country should learn to live with Covid.
Johnson did not address the criticism in his response, praising Frost’s “historic service to the country and government”.
The Mail on Sunday, which was the first to announce the news of his resignation, noted that Frost resigned a week ago because he opposed the planned coronavirus measures.
According to Labor Deputy Chair Angela Rayner, Frost’s resignation shows that “the government is in complete chaos”.
British Health Minister Sajid Javid, on the other hand, said that Frost had performed an extraordinary public service and stated that “he resigned because of his principles, so it should be respected”.
Heavy blow from covid measures and election
At the beginning of this week, nearly 100 MPs from the Conservative Party did not support the vote for the introduction of the new coronavirus measures.
The vote is considered the “biggest revolt” against Johnson in the Conservative Party.
90,418 new cases of coronavirus were recorded in the UK on Saturday. 10 thousand of these cases are Omicron variant.
Ministers were briefed on the coronavirus figures on Saturday.
On the other hand, the Conservative Party lost its 200-year-old stronghold after the Liberal Democrats won Thursday’s by-election in England’s North Shropshire region.
In recent weeks, Johnson, who was worn out by the allegations that members of the government violated the pandemic rules last year, and then by the rebellion in his party about the Covid policies, was also dealt a significant blow with this defeat.
Who will lead the Brexit negotiations?
Some Conservative lawmakers view the resignation as a warning to Johnson.
Most recently, Frost conducted the negotiations of the EU-Northern Ireland protocol within the scope of the Brexit negotiations.
Some business representatives criticized the protocol on the grounds that it would make trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland difficult.
Conservative Party MPs expressed their regret over Frost’s resignation, while opposition Labor Party MP Simon Hoare said that Frost was “not fit to engage in politics”.
The BBC’s Brussels representative, Jess Parker, expresses the opinion that Frost will not be missed very much on the EU front.
He added that it remains unclear who will lead the Brexit talks next and what the government’s position on the Northern Ireland protocol is.