British science minister quits
December 3, 2018 | Expert Insights
British science and universities minister Sam Gyimah quit Prime Minister Theresa May's government, the sixth minister to resign in protest against her proposed Brexit deal with the European Union.
Gyimah, a junior-ranking minister who campaigned in the 2016 vote to keep Britain in the EU, said May's deal meant Britain would surrender its "voice and its veto".
Background
On June 23rd, 2016, Britain narrowly voted to leave the European Union, stunning Europe and the world in general. The EU employs a set of policies for its 28-member states that aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods and trade among other services. Britain is deeply intertwined with the workings of the EU especially with regard to trade.
Over the past year, leaders of member nations have expressed their dismay over Britain leaving the body. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte are among those who have been vocal about their apprehension regarding the events that are unfolding.
In December 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May struck a last-minute deal with the EU regarding key issues. According to this deal, there will be no "hard border" in Ireland. The rights of EU citizens in the UK and the rights of UK citizens living elsewhere in the EU would also be protected in accordance with the deal.
The UK is officially set to leave the EU in March 2019.
Analysis
Britain’s Science Minister Sam Gyimah has quit Theresa May’s cabinet over his disagreement on the proposed Brexit plan. Gyimah, a junior-ranking minister who campaigned in the 2016 vote to keep Britain in the EU, said the Prime Minister should not rule out the prospect of a second referendum.
His resignation represents a further blow to May, who is trying to persuade her own lawmakers to approve the deal she struck with Brussels.
May faces criticism from all sides including the Northern Irish party propping up her government, ahead of Britain's departure from the EU in four months.
"It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure," Gyimah wrote in a resignation statement published by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny."
Gyimah did applaud the "grit and determination" of May, who is in Buenos Aires attending a Group of 20 (G-20) summit. PM May conceded that Britain will not use the EU's Galileo space project for defence or critical national infrastructure, following a row over the post-Brexit future of the planned rival to the US Global Positioning System.
"Galileo is only a foretaste of what's to come under the government's Brexit deal," Gyimah said in his statement.
The row over Galileo erupted earlier this year when London accused the EU of shutting British businesses out of the project before Britain's exit next March. The EU has said its rules prohibit it sharing sensitive security information with countries outside the bloc.
Britain will explore options to build its own Global Navigation Satellite System to help guide military drones, run energy networks and provide essential services for civilian smart phones, May's office said.
It will also work with the United States to continue accessing its GPS system.
Britain told the EU earlier this year it would demand the repayment of up to £1 billion (S$1.7 billion) if the bloc restricted its access to Galileo. A senior British official said the question of past contributions was still a "live issue" which would be discussed as part of talks on Britain's future relationship with the bloc.
May's office said Britain's Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies would be used to provide a global network of locations needed for the ground-based infrastructure and worldwide coverage.
Assessment
Our assessment is that Theresa May will have a turbulent few weeks before the Parliament votes on the proposed Brexit plan. With the sixth member of her cabinet resigning, we believe that PM May is treading on unstable ground and we also feel that another major resignation may trigger widespread public protests.
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