Brexit latest – who is Shailesh Vara and why did he resign as Northern Ireland minister?

SHAILESH Vara resigned as Northern Ireland secretary over Theresa May’s compromised Brexit deal with the EU.

Let’s take a closer look at the Tory MP and the reasons behind his resignation.

Who is Shailesh Vara?

Born in Uganda, Vara’s family moved to Britain in 1964 when he was four-years-old.

He studied at Brunel University and qualified as a solicitor before working in the City of London and Hong Kong in the late 1980s.

Vara became involved in the Conservative in the 80s and held a variety of local and national posts including Vice-Chairman on the Party.

He was elected the MP for North West Cambridgeshire in 2005 – which was his third attempt to win a seat in the Commons.

While Vara supported the Remain campaign during the EU referendum, he also backed prominent Brexiteer Michael Gove’s short-lived leadership bid.

He was appointed Minister of State for Northern Ireland on January 9, 2018, before resigning on November 15, 2018.

The Ugandan-born politician is married with two children and also has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Why did he resign?

Vara quit Theresa May’s cabinet over her “soft” Brexit deal which she had agreed with EU leaders on November 13, 2018.

Upon resigning, he warned the withdrawal agreement would leave Britain tied to “the shackles of the EU” and stop us becoming a “sovereign, independent country”.

Vara said: “We are a proud nation and it is a sad day when we are reduced to obeying rules made by other countries who have shown that they do not have our best interests at heart.

“We can and must do better than this. The people of the UK deserve better.”

He added the deal would keep Britain “in a half-way house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation”.

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