Boris Johnson's own brother quits his floundering government
After two solid days of failure and crisis, including three lost votes and a disastrous performance at Prime Minister's Question Time, the government of Boris Johnson is already floundering badly. Now his own brother, Jo Johnson, is quitting not only his government, but his seat and the ruling Conservative party too.
The business minister and Tory MP for Orpington, south-east London, cited an "unresolvable tension" in his role. Mr Johnson voted Remain in the 2016 EU membership referendum, while his brother co-led the Leave campaign.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it was "unbelievable timing".
Mr Johnson's resignation follows the removal of the Tory whip from 21 MPs this week for supporting moves to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Our political editor tweeted that Mr Johnson was "understood to be upset about the purge of colleagues" and that the brothers were "in very different places" on Brexit.
Today I learned that Boris Johnson's younger brother looks exactly like him, but hasn't been infected by the Bene Gesserit with a genetically-targeted STD that turns you into a pustulent floating poisoned bag of a man.