Hastings and Rye MP Amber Rudd quits cabinet and Conservative Party

Hastings and Rye MP Amber Rudd has quit the cabinet and Conservative Party this evening (Saturday, September 7) saying she cannot “stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled”.
Amber RuddAmber Rudd
Amber Rudd

The work and pensions secretary took to Twitter to say she had “resigned from the Cabinet and surrendered the Conservative whip”.

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which she also tweeted, she said: “It is with great sadness that I am resigning as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Minister for Women and Equalities.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She continued: “This has been a difficult decision. I joined your Cabinet in good faith: accepting that No Deal had to be on the table, because it was the means by which we would have the best chance of achieving a new deal to leave on 31 October.

“However I no longer believe leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective.

“The government is expending a lot of energy to prepare for No Deal but I have not seen the same level of intensity go into our talks with the European Union who have asked us to present alternative arrangements to the Irish backstop.

“The updates I have been grateful to receive from your office have not, regretfully, provided me with the reassurances I sought.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I must also address the assault on decency and democracy that took place last week when you sacked 21 talented, loyal One Nation Conservatives.

“This short sighted culling of my colleagues has stripped the Party of broad-minded and dedicated Conservative MPs. I cannot support this act of political vandalism.”

She finished the letter off by saying she remained ‘a proud Conservative’ and that she would continue to support her constituents of Hastings and Rye.

In Hastings earlier today, three opposition members signed a letter to Amber Rudd asking her why she supports the Prime Minister’s proposed suspension of Parliament.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The letter was signed by Labour’s Peter Chowney, the Liberal Democrats’ Nick Perry and the Green Party’s Chris Whitrow, who signed the letter on behalf of Julia Hilton. The letter was signed outside St Mary in the Castle at noon today (Saturday, September 7).

Click here to hear what the opposition party members had to say.