London - British Prime Minister Theresa
May's most senior minister, Damian Green, has resigned at her
request after an internal investigation found that he had made
misleading comments about pornography found on computers in his
parliamentary office.
The resignation of one of her most trusted allies, who
helped pacify her deeply divided party, is a serious blow for
May as she navigates the final year of tortuous Brexit
negotiations before Britain's exit in March 2019.
Green was appointed in the wake of her disastrous bet on a
June snap election which lost her party its majority in
parliament. Green, an old friend, was brought in to stabilise
her leadership and counter enemies within the Conservative Party
who wanted her to quit.
A review by the cabinet secretary found that Green's
statements which suggested he was not aware that indecent
material was found in 2008 on parliamentary computers in his
office, were "inaccurate and misleading."
"I regret that I've been asked to resign from the government
following breaches of the Ministerial Code, for which I
apologise," Green said in a letter to May. He added that he did
not download or view pornography on his parliamentary computers.