May losing support over Brexit deal

Two British Cabinet ministers resigned Thursday and a member of Parliament called for a vote of no-confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May over a Brexit deal she helped negotiate. Dominic Raab, who resigned as Brexit secretary, said he “cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the European Union.” Late Wednesday, the British Cabinet begrudgingly accepted the deal, which involves retaining ties to the EU customs union during the transition and possibly longer.

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, has called for a summit on Nov. 25 for the other 27 nations to endorse the deal. May still needs approval from Parliament, where pro-Brexit lawmakers believe she sold out. On Thursday, Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara quit, saying May’s deal “leaves the U.K. in a halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation.” Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative member of Parliament, said Thursday he asked for a vote of no-confidence in May and expected enough of his colleagues to join him to trigger a challenge to her leadership. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.