David Frost Says His Resignation Was 'Absolutely Not About' BoJo's Leadership

In his resignation letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, David Frost stressed that he is stepping down over "concerns about the current direction of travel" regarding the government's domestic and foreign policy.

Former UK Brexit Minister David Frost has made it clear that his recent resignation was not related to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership, and that it pertained to the 56-year-old's unwillingness to support some policies pursued by Downing Street.

"This is absolutely not about leadership. This is about policy differences. I left the government because, as I think is well known, I couldn't support certain policies - most recently on the COVID restrictions", Frost told reporters on Monday.

This came after the Daily Mail, which was the first to report the news on Sunday, argued that Frost handed in his resignation a week ago, partly in a sign of disagreement with COVID restrictions in England.

Britain's Brexit adviser David Frost arrives for a meeting with European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, 2 October 2019.

© AP Photo / Olivier Matthys

In a letter to Johnson, however, Frost said that now that his move to quit in January had been made public, he would resign with "immediate effect".

Writing "Brexit is now secure", the ex­-minister then voiced concern about "the current direction of travel" of the British government, especially when it comes to the handling of the COVID pandemic.

He praised Johnson for taking "a brave decision in July, against considerable opposition, to open up the country again" following the coronavirus lockdown.

"Sadly it did not prove to be irreversible, as I wished, and believe you did too. I hope we can get back on track soon and not be tempted by the kind of coercive measures we have seen elsewhere", the former Brexit minister emphasised.

The developments unfold as Johnson remains in hot water over a number of scandals, with the latest surrounding a "boozy" Christmas party held at Number 10 Downing Street late last year, when such gatherings were strictly prohibited under the Tier 2 coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Last week, the prime minister suffered the largest Tory rebellion of his tenure when almost 100 Conservative MPs voted against the so-called Plan B on tougher COVID rules for England this winter that include the mandatory introduction of COVID health passes for large venues in the country. Despite the opposition, the House of Commons approved the new measures, which were supported by Labour.

In another development last week, veteran Tory backbencher and treasurer of the 1922 Committee Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown reportedly said that a leadership challenge has "got to be on the cards" unless Johnson alters his handling of COVID-related issues

The Telegraph has reported that at least two dozen letters of no confidence in Johnson could be submitted to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, who will reportedly be receiving them over Christmas. Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale has, meanwhile, become the first Tory to publicly confirm that he has sent such a letter to Brady, according to The Independent.