Theresa May has vowed to fight any attempt to oust her as UK prime minister after Boris Johnson, once seen as her strongest rival for the Conservative party leadership, quit as foreign secretary over her plan to maintain close ties to the EU after Brexit.
Mr Johnson’s resignation followed the departure on Sunday night of David Davis, the Brexit secretary, who said Mrs May’s proposal to keep Britain aligned to rules set by Brussels risked betraying the result of the 2016 referendum on EU membership.
It marks the first time since 1982 that two UK cabinet ministers have resigned within 24 hours, outside of a reshuffle, and brought forward the day of reckoning for a government that has been unable to agree on its future relationship with Brussels since Mrs May ascended to the premiership two years ago.