Amber Rudd quits UK Conservatives, says Boris Johnson isn’t trying hard enough to get a Brexit deal

CNN — Senior Conservative lawmaker Amber Rudd has resigned as the UK’s Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, accusing Prime Minister Boris Johnson of an assault on democracy. Rudd posted her letter to the Prime Minister on Twitter Saturday night, saying she could not “stand by as good, loyal moderate Conservatives are expelled” which she called an “assault on decency and democracy.” Johnson, who has been prime minister for six weeks, expelled 21 Conservatives, including Winston Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames and Ken Clarke, the longest serving member of Parliament, after they voted to block the Prime Minister’s plan to leave the EU without a deal. "It's like 80-90 percent of government time going into preparing for no-deal" Amber Rudd says absence of govt trying to get a #Brexit deal is behind her decision to quit the Cabinet and stand by 21 Tory colleagues expelled from Conservative party #Marr https://t.co/kiy3X7g7KH pic.twitter.com/IzRzagrhdJ — BBC Politics September 8, 2019 In her letter to the PM on Saturday, Rudd told Johnson that she “no longer” believed “leaving with a deal is the government’s main objective.” “This short-sighted culling of my colleagues has stripped the Party of broad-minded and dedicated Conservative MPs. Johnson ‘will obey the law,’ Chancellor says After British lawmakers voted on Wednesday to pass a bill aimed a preventing a no-deal Brexit, Johnson said he would call for snap elections on October 15 rather than be forced to request another “pointless delay.” The bill, which was passed by the House of Lords on Friday will become law on Monday after Queen Elizabeth II approves it.