Dominic Raab Is The New Brexit Secretary As Theresa May Battles To Save Her Job

David Davis quit on Sunday night
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Dominic Raab is the new Brexit Secretary after the dramatic resignation of David Davis late on Sunday night.

The former Housing Minister is now responsible for leading the UK’s negotiations with the EU - with just three months until a deal is planned to be signed off.

Davis quit on Sunday just days after it appeared the Cabinet had finally agreed on what it wanted from the talks with Brussels.

The PM announced on Friday evening the UK would seek a “common rulebook” with the EU when it comes to goods and agriculture products, thereby continuing current standards in a bid to avoid delays at ports and airports.

The UK Parliament would ‘take back control’ by having the power to align UK goods rules with Brussels - or to diverge from them in the future, although this would have implications for the trade deal as a whole.

But the now-former Brexit Secretary said the plan agreed at Chequers leaves the UK in a “weak negotiating position” and the common rulebook hands Brussels “control over large swathes of our economy”.

He was followed out the door by Steve Baker, who quit as Brexit Minister.  

Raab’s promotion to the Cabinet marks an extraordinary comeback for a politician who was sacked as a Justice Minister when May became Prime Minister in July 2016.

The Brexiteer found himself back at the Ministry of Justice in June 2017 after May’s General Election disaster, and was given the high profile role of Housing Minister in the January reshuffle.

Before entering Parliament in 2010 as MP for Esher and Walton he worked as chief of staff for the man he now replaces as Brexit Secretary, David Davis.

In his resignation letter to the PM, Davis said “the current trend of policy and tactics” made it “less and less likely” May would deliver “on the mandate of the referendum and on our manifesto commitment to leave the customs union and the single market”.

In her reply, May told Davis: “I do not agree with your characterisation of the policy we agreed at Cabinet on Friday.”