The final vote on the deal is slated for 15 January. However, Prime Minister Theresa May does not have enough votes, as the opposition Labour Party and even some Conservative lawmakers oppose the agreement, negotiated by the government.
“It is with regret that I hereby tender my resignation as a Minister in the Government Whips’ Office”, Johnson wrote in a letter to May, published on his Facebook page. “This agreement prevents us from taking back control and instead could leave us perpetually constrained by the European Union”.
In order to get the deal through Parliament, the prime minister needs 318 votes, but 117 of the 317 Conservative MPs voted against her in a confidence vote on 12 December. Additionally, the PM will have to gain the support of several Labour and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MPs.