UK Prime Minister Theresa May's most senior minister has resigned after an inquiry found he had made misleading comments about pornography found on his computer. It is a serious blow for an already isolated premier.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May's changing Cabinet
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is fending off pressure from the EU and political rivals in the UK, but also dissent and resignations inside her own government. Several of May's top Cabinet members have quit their posts.
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Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson resigned as UK foreign minister on Monday, the second resignation from Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet in less than 24 hours. The conservative had been a key face for the Leave campaign ahead of Britain's 2016 referendum. He seemed to quit in protest at May's plans to push through a "soft Brexit." May's position seemed fragile even before two key ministers quit.
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David Davis
Citing disagreement with the prime minister over EU divorce talks, Brexit Secretary David Davis quit his post late on Sunday. Davis, who served as UK's top Brexit negotiator, said Theresa May's policy could leave the UK in an "inescapable" negotiating position.
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Amber Rudd
In April 2018, Home Secretary Amber Rudd resigned when reports surfaced of UK authorities mistreating long-term British residents from the Caribbean. The officials wrongly labeled the so-called "Windrush Generation" as illegal immigrants. London originally invited the migrants to help rebuild UK economy after World War II, with the ship "Windrush" transporting the first group to the UK shores.
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Michael Fallon
Michael Fallon stepped down as British defense secretary in November 2017 after apologizing for touching a journalist's knee in 2002 and other allegations of inappropriate conduct that have not been made public. In his letter of resignation, Fallon said he had "fallen short of the high standards" expected of the military. Fallon was replaced by Gavin Williamson, one of May's trusted allies.
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Priti Patel
International Development Secretary Priti Patel also reigned in November, after being found to have had 12 undisclosed meetings with officials in Israel, including with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in breach of diplomatic protocol. Patel discussed the possibility of British aid being used to support medical assistance for Syrian refugees arriving in the Golan Heights.
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Damian Green
First Secretary of State Damian Green was forced to resign after an inquiry found he made misleading statements about pornographic material found on a computer in his parliamentary office in 2008. A key ally of Prime Minister Theresa May, he was named secretary of state after May lost a parliamentary majority in early elections. Green was among those who urged Britons to vote to say in the EU.
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Jo Johnson
Jo Johnson, the the Remain-backing younger brother of Boris Johnson, quit May's government in November over her "delusional" Brexit plans. Johnson said the withdrawal agreement being discussed by the European Union and British leaders would be a "terrible mistake" that would leave Britain weaker economically and with "no say" in EU rules it must follow, and years of uncertainty for business.
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First Secretary of State Damian Green has resigned amid allegations pornographic material was found on his computer in the House of Commons in 2008.
"I regret that I've been asked to resign from the government following breaches of the Ministerial Code, for which I apologize," Green said in a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday.
Green's cabinet post is nominally the second most important in the government, although several other positions, particularly control of the finance ministry and foreign ministry, are deemed more prestigious in practice.
May told her de facto deputy, and former EU Remain campaigner, that his conduct had breached the ministerial code of conduct and "fallen short" of the behavior expected of ministers. He is the third minister to resign in the past two months following now former Defense Minister Michael Fallon and International Development Secretary Priti Patel.
A review of the case by the Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood found "inaccurate and misleading" statements made by Green in November in which he suggested he was not aware that indecent material had been found on the computers in his office.
However, May did have words for two former police officers who recently revealed details of what had been found on the computer in 2008. In her letter to Green, she wrote: "I shared the concerns raised from across the political spectrum when your Parliamentary office was raided in 2008 when you were a shadow home office minister holding the then Labour Government to account." She expressed approval for the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police's professional standards department, which is reviewing the comments made by the former officers.
Inappropriate behavior
Green has also been investigated for alleged inappropriate behavior towards a party activist, Kate Maltby. Maltby, who is 30 years younger than Green, told the Times newspaper that he had "fleetingly" touched her knee during a meeting in a London pub in 2015 and sent her a "suggestive" text message.
The 61-year-old Green described that allegation as "untrue and ... hurtful."
He admitted that his lawyers had discussed the pornography issue with police on two occasions.
"I accept that I should have been clear in my press statements that police lawyers talked to my lawyers in 2008 about the pornography on the computers, and that the police raised it with me in a subsequent phone call in 2013," Green said in his letter of resignation.
May was not expected to immediately replace Green. He had been opposed to Britain leaving the EU prior to the 2016 referendum.