Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May pays tribute to the two ministers who resigned 
 
 Boris Johnson has launched a scathing attack on Theresa May's Brexit strategy, saying the "dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt". 
 
 In his letter resigning as foreign secretary, he said the prime minister was leading the UK into a "semi-Brexit" with the "status of a colony". 
 
 His resignation came hours after Brexit Secretary David Davis quit the cabinet. 
 
 Mrs May said she was "sorry - and a little surprised" by Mr Johnson's move after his apparent support on Friday. 
 
 She said the deal agreed by the cabinet after their "productive discussions" at Chequers would "honour the result of the referendum" and allow the UK to "take back control of our borders, our law and our money". 
 
 Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been named as Mr Johnson's replacement as foreign secretary, with Matt Hancock as the new health secretary. 
 
 Mrs May's official spokesman said she would fight any attempt to oust her as prime minister if the required 48 Tory MPs called for a contest. 
 
 She earlier faced her critics at a packed meeting of backbench Conservative MPs, many of whom share Mr Johnson's concerns about her Brexit stance. 
 
 Loud applause could be heard at the end of the 1922 Committee meeting, which the PM attended for just over an hour. 
 
 Leaving the gathering, leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said he did not think there would be a confidence vote over Mrs May. 
 
 But ministerial aide Chris Green resigned his position as a parliamentary private secretary to the Department for Transport after the meeting, saying in a letter to Mrs May that she had confirmed his fears that "we would not really leave the EU" under her proposals. 
 
 Mr Johnson's parliamentary private secretary Conor Burn has also stepped down. Brexit minister Steve Baker also left the government. 
 
 Housing minister Dominic Raab has replaced Mr Davis as Brexit secretary. 
 
 What Johnson says in his resignation letter 
 
 Mr Johnson does not pull any punches, saying Brexit "should be about opportunity and hope" and a "chance to do things differently", but "that dream is dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt". 
 
 He claims crucial decisions have been postponed, including preparations for a "no-deal" scenario, "with the result that we appear to be heading for a semi-Brexit, with large parts of the economy still locked in the EU system, but with no UK control over that system". 
 
 The PM's response to Johnson 
 
 In her letter accepting his resignation, the prime minister said she had allowed cabinet ministers "considerable latitude to express their individual views" on Brexit. 
 
 "But the agreement we reached on Friday marks the point where that is no longer the case and if you are not able to provide the support we need to secure this deal in the interests of the United Kingdom, it is right that you should step down." 
 
 What prompted the row? 
 
 The UK is due to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019, but the two sides have yet to agree how trade will work between the UK and the EU afterwards. 
 
 There have been differences within the Conservatives over how far the UK should prioritise the economy by compromising on issues such as leaving the remit of the European Court of Justice and ending free movement of people. 
 
 Mrs May only has a majority in Parliament with the support of the 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, so any split raises questions about whether her plan could survive a Commons vote. 
 
 She took her entire cabinet to her country residence on Friday to try to get agreement on a UK vision for post-Brexit relations. 
 
 An agreement was announced after the 12-hour meeting, but many Brexiteers have been unhappy with the deal which they think will lead to the "worst of both worlds". 
 
 Why did David Davis resign? 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption David Davis explains why he resigned 
 
 The man leading the UK's negotiating team, David Davis, resigned late on Sunday night, saying that he did not agree with the UK's proposals, so was the wrong person to be going into negotiations with them. 
 
 He told the BBC that he thought the UK was giving away "too much, too easily" and predicted that the EU would be demanding more concessions in talks. 
 
 Mr Davis, who had been Brexit secretary since Mrs May became prime minister in 2016, said he had made compromises since taking on the role, but this was "one compromise too far". 
 
 Theresa May is sticking by her Brexit plan 
 
 Speaking in a boisterous House of Commons, Mrs May defended the Brexit plan agreed on Friday, which would see the UK agreeing a "common rulebook" with the EU for trading in goods, but not services, after Brexit. 
 
 She paid tribute to Mr Johnson's "passion" in championing a global Britain after Brexit and Mr Davis' work in steering through key Brexit legislation. 
 
 But she told MPs: "We do not agree on the best way to deliver our shared commitments to honour the result of the referendum." 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption PM: "If the EU continues on this course, there is a serious risk it could lead to no deal" 
 
 Mrs May told MPs that the plan agreed by the cabinet at Chequers was the basis of a "responsible and credible" offer to restart renegotiations with the EU. 
 
 But she warned that if the EU did not engage with her plan, there was a "serious risk" of the UK leaving in March 2019 without a deal in a "disorderly" manner. 
 
 Under her proposal, a treaty would be signed committing the UK to "continued harmonisation" with EU rules - avoiding friction at the UK-EU border, including Northern Ireland. 
 
 But Parliament would oversee the UK's trade policy and have the ability to "choose" to diverge from the EU rules. 
 
 Freedom of movement would come to an end but a "mobility framework" would ensure UK and EU citizens can continue to study and work in each other's territories. 
 
 What was the reaction in the Commons? 
 
 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Johnson and Mr Davis had abandoned a "sinking ship", shattering the "illusion of unity" initially surrounding the Chequers plan. 
 
 There was a crisis in government, he said, adding: "It is clear this government cannot secure a good deal for Britain." 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The PM's recent comments about restored "cabinet responsibility" drew laughs in the House of Commons. 
 
 Mrs May came under pressure from prominent Tory Brexiteers on the backbenches, with ex-leader Iain Duncan Smith urging her to rule out further concessions during the talks. 
 
 What has been the reaction from the EU? 
 
 The European Commission declined to comment on the resignations but Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said he hoped a change in faces might lead to a change in policy. 
 
 What does it all mean for Brexit? 
 
 The UK and the EU have been negotiating Brexit terms for more than a year now and have been hoping to agree broad aims for their future relationship in October. 
 
 The aim of the Chequers away day had been to agree the UK position - after two years of discussion - but the resignations have put a question mark over that. 
 
 The uncertainty in the UK comes before the plan is officially put to the EU, who may well be unhappy with aspects of it they have previously referred to as "cherry picking". 
 
 One other element of Friday's agreement worth noting is that it pledged to speed up preparations for the UK to be ready to leave the EU without a Brexit deal in March next year. 
 
 And finally... the return of Farage? 
 
 Nigel Farage has said he will consider standing for the UKIP leadership for a fourth time when it becomes vacant in March next year, if Brexit is not "back on track" and the Chequers agreement still stands. 
 
 He backed Mr Johnson, saying the former foreign secretary had the chance to "save Brexit" by moving against the prime minister. ||||| May's plan 'sticks in the throat', says Boris Johnson as he resigns over Brexit 
 
 Boris Johnson has quit as foreign secretary, claiming in his resignation letter that the UK was headed “for the status of a colony” if Theresa May’s soft Brexit plans were adopted. 
 
 The leading Brexiter said that he tried to support the line agreed at Chequers on Friday but while the “government now has a song to sing” he could not manage to support the plan agreed. 
 
 “The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat,” Johnson wrote. “Since I cannot in all conscience champion these proposals, I have sadly concluded that I must go.” 
 
 Power, not Brexit, is behind Boris Johnson’s decision to quit | Martin Kettle Read more 
 
 Johnson was the third minister to quit in 24 hours following the Chequers deal, although his resignation was announced by Downing Street at 3pm before he had a chance to complete his letter. 
 
 He then chose to release his own resignation letter before Downing Street had a chance to reply, breaking the usual convention that a minister’s resignation letter is released at the same time as the prime minister’s response. 
 
 May hammered out a compromise with her deeply divided cabinet in an all-day meeting at Chequers on Friday but Johnson decided he could not promote the deal after consulting friends and allies. 
 
 Johnson wrote that he believed May’s new plan amounted to “a semi-Brexit” with large parts of the economy “locked in the EU system, but with no UK control over that system”. 
 
 May’s negotiating pitch to the European Union would see the UK agree to adopt a “common rule book” on standards for food and goods in return for achieving greater divergence on services and digital regulation, a proposal that has worried hardline Brexiters since it was leaked last week. 
 
 Pressure on the foreign secretary had been mounting since fellow pro-Brexiter David Davis resigned as Brexit secretary on Sunday night, swiftly followed by his No 2 at the Department for Exiting the EU, Steve Baker. 
 
 
 
 A Downing Street spokesman said: “This afternoon, the prime minister accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary. His replacement will be announced shortly. The prime minister thanks Boris for his work.” 
 
 After the Chequers summit, it emerged that Johnson had referred to attempts to sell May’s Brexit plan as being akin to “polishing a turd”. 
 
 Play Video 1:24 Laughter in Commons as Theresa May pays tribute to Boris Johnson's 'passion' – video 
 
 As the flamboyant public face of the Vote Leave campaign, his departure will deepen the sense of crisis around May and increase the chances that she could face a vote of no confidence. 
 
 
 
 One senior Brexiter suggested more resignations could follow if May sticks to her plan: “They’ll keep going, one by one, until she either junks Chequers or goes.” 
 
 Johnson’s resignation was announced on Monday afternoon as Labour MPs were being briefed about the government’s soft Brexit plan by May’s de facto deputy, David Lidington. 
 
 Q&A Boris Johnson timeline Show Hide February 2016 
 
 Johnson says in a long-awaited statement that 'after a huge amount of heartache' he will​ back the leave campaign. In January, David Cameron had announced ministers could campaign on either side, and despite being a backbencher, Johnson's view was seen as influential. May 2016 Johnson campaigns around the UK, posing with the now infamous bus saying leaving the EU would provide the NHS with an extra £350m a week – a claim later condemned as a misuse of statistics. 23 June 2016 UK voters take part in the referendum. In the early hours of the following day the results show 52% voted to leave the EU. At a victory press conference hours later Johnson looks shaken. 30 June 2016 After Cameron quits, Johnson announces he will contest the Conservative leadership, pitching himself as a unifier. In a surprise twist, Michael Gove says he will also stand, warning that Johnson cannot provide the leadership needed. This prompts Johnson to use the launch of his leadership bid to say he will no longer stand. 13 July 2016 Theresa May, who took over the leadership unopposed, appoints Johnson as foreign secretary. November 2017 Labour MPs call for Johnson to step down after he wrongly states that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was jailed in Iran, was 'teaching people journalism' – something both her family and her employer said was untrue, and was used by Iranian officials to justify her detention. 6 July 2018 Johnson is among 29 ministers who discuss May’s plan for Brexit at Chequers. He agrees to her proposals, though it is later reported he had initial doubts. 9 July 2018 After vanishing for several hours, Johnson resigns. 
 
 Lidington, a potential candidate to succeed Johnson, emerged from the meeting in Westminster apparently unaware of the latest resignation. 
 
 Johnson was due to host a summit about the western Balkans on Monday afternoon but was instead holed up in his official residence with close advisers, considering his position. 
 
 He was ridiculed last month when he avoided a vote on a third runway at Heathrow, a proposal to which he had long-held objections. The trade minister, Greg Hands, resigned rather than obey the Conservative whip and vote for the airport’s expansion. 
 
 May appeared before a packed House of Commons minutes after news emerged of Johnson’s resignation, cheered loudly by Tory MPs as she arrived. She acknowledged the resignations of Davis and Johnson at the beginning of her statement on Friday’s Chequers agreement, briefly thanking Davis for steering through the “most important legislation for generations” and Johnson for showing passion in promoting “global Britain to the world”. 
 
 She did not elaborate on the turmoil engulfing her government, saying only that “robust views had been exchanged around the cabinet table, as they have been around the breakfast table”. She said she expected cabinet members to conform to collective responsibility now that a soft Brexit policy had been agreed. 
 
 Few at Foreign Office will mourn Boris Johnson’s departure Read more 
 
 Other ministers supporting hard Brexit took up their places on the frontbench, including Andrea Leadsom, Liam Fox and Penny Mordaunt. Michael Gove arrived late, unable to get a seat on the frontbench initially, before sitting on the benches reserved for cabinet members after Jeremy Corbyn had spoken. But there was no sign of either Johnson or Davis in the chamber. 
 
 Speaking after May, the Labour leader said there was a crisis in the government, accusing her of presiding over “two years of soundbites, indecision and cabinet infighting”, adding that “more and more people [are] losing faith that this government is capable of delivering a good Brexit deal and that is just within her own cabinet”. 
 
 Brussels reacted coolly to news of the cabinet departures. Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, said the departure of Johnson and Davis did nothing to “solve the mess caused by Brexit”. 
 
 He added in a tweet: 
 
 Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) Politicians come and go but the problems they have created for people remain. I can only regret that the idea of #Brexit has not left with Davis and Johnson. But...who knows? 
 
 His comment reprised his previously stated hope that the UK might change its mind on leaving the EU. 
 
 Another EU diplomat said: “The question is can [May] pull it through. The stability of the government is called in[to] question and now we will see what happens. But even if the government were to fall … we have no other option to deal with this or the next government.” 
 
 
 
 May was due to address her backbench MPs in Westminster after her Commons statement. 
 
 
 
 If 48 MPs write letters of no confidence to the chair of the backbench 1922 committee, Graham Brady, May will face a vote of no confidence. 
 
 Many of the prime minister’s supporters believe she would win such a contest and cement her authority, but if she lost, May would face a leadership challenge, with Johnson among the potential candidates. 
 
 Asked whether May would contest a no confidence vote, a Downing Street source said simply: “Yes.” He added that the prime minister believed she had secured the backing of the cabinet at Chequers. 
 
 “The Chequers agreement was the product and the subject of a formal meeting of the cabinet, and assent was recorded as part of that, in the way that cabinets do record these decisions.” He refused to give further details. Asked whether May was confident that the rest of her cabinet backed the Chequers position, he added: “There is no reason to think otherwise.” 
 
 In Davis’s resignation letter, he said he believed May’s proposal for a UK-EU free trade area governed by a “common rulebook”, “hands control of large swathes of our economy to the EU and is certainly not returning control of our laws in any real sense”. 
 
 Later on Monday, Davis expressed regret about Johnson’s decision. He said he had resigned because he could not agree with the government’s Brexit negotiating position, but added that Johnson did not need to do so. “I’d have to be the champion of the policy which I didn’t believe in, so that doesn’t work. Somebody else can do a better job than me under those circumstances. I don’t think it’s central to the foreign secretary. It’s a pity, but there we are,” Davis told LBC radio. 
 
 Johnson and his allies are concerned about the risk that Britain’s ability to strike trade deals with non-EU countries will be severely limited under the Chequers approach. Brexiters have also been angered by what Baker told the BBC was “childish” briefing from No 10 over the treatment of pro-Brexit ministers at Chequers.
– So how goes British politics Monday? Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson quit, the second cabinet member to do so in 24 hours, prompting the main BBC story to include phrases such as "full-blown crisis," "meltdown," and "complete and utter chaos." The Guardian prefers "disarray," while the Wall Street Journal likes "turmoil." And so on. It all revolves around Prime Minister Theresa May's newly hashed-out Brexit strategy. Pro-Brexit hard-liners, including Johnson, think May wants to keep too-cozy ties with the European Union after Britain formally leaves the bloc. The details: On second thought: The flamboyant Johnson initially supported May's plan, which she hammered out with her cabinet late last week, though he begrudgingly referred to it as "polishing a turd," per the Guardian. After a weekend of consulting with allies, Johnson apparently decided he couldn't go along with it after all. Read his resignation letter here, in which he says the UK is "headed for the status of colony" and accuses May of flying "white flags" of surrender in the EU negotiations.