Secretary of state for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) Amber Rudd has refused to rule out resigning from her post in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Speaking last week (24 January) on BBC Newsnight, the minister refused to rule out resigning in the event of a no-deal Brexit after the question was twice put to her by presenter Kirsty Wark.
First, she responded by saying: “There are lots of moving parts at the moment. I’m just going to carry on trying to make my point in my words.”
When asked again if she would rule out resigning she said: “I’m going to wait and see.”
Rudd returned to the cabinet and took up the position on 18 November 2018 – just over two months ago – after Esther McVey resigned from the post in protest at the government’s draft Brexit agreement.
DWP’s revolving door
Since 2016, when Iain Duncan Smith resigned in March after holding the secretary of state role for nearly six years, the department has seen six different politicians at the helm.
Stephen Crabb took the position following Smith’s resignation, lasting just 117 days in the job before he too resigned after newspaper allegations he sent suggestive text messages to young women.
After Crabbe came Damian Green, who was appointed to the position in 2016 by Theresa May. He was moved in a cabinet reshuffle nearly a year later.
Next came David Gauke, who led the department for 211 days before leaving for the Ministry of Justice as part of Theresa May’s 2018 reshuffle. Esther McVey replaced him, holding the position for nearly a year before she resigned.
If Rudd does resign in the coming weeks she will have held the position for less time than any other DWP secretary of state in history.