Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Brexit deal "will see us cede control" - Jo Johnson

Jo Johnson has quit as transport minister and called for the public to have a fresh say on Brexit.

The MP, who is Boris Johnson's brother but voted Remain in the referendum, said the deal being negotiated with the EU "will be a terrible mistake".

Arguing Britain was "on the brink of the greatest crisis" since World War Two, he said what was on offer wasn't "anything like what was promised".

Downing Street thanked him for his work but ruled out another referendum.

Jo Johnson voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum while his brother Boris, who quit as foreign secretary in July, was a leading Brexiteer.

His brother praised his decision, saying they were "united in dismay" at the PM's handling of the negotiations.

Cabinet ministers have been invited this week to read the UK's draft withdrawal deal with the EU. Theresa May has said the withdrawal deal is 95% done - but there is no agreement yet on how to guarantee no hard border in Northern Ireland.

On Friday the DUP, whose support Theresa May relies on for votes in the Commons, said they cannot support any deal which included the possibility that Northern Ireland would be treated differently from the rest of the UK.

Mr Johnson, the MP for Orpington in Greater London, said the choice being finalised was either:

an agreement which would leave the UK "economically weakened with no say in the EU rules it must follow", or

a "no-deal Brexit" which would "inflict untold damage on our nation".

He described this as "a failure of British statecraft unseen since the Suez crisis" but said even a no-deal Brexit "may well be better than the never-ending purgatory" being put forward by the prime minister.

But in a warning to his brother and fellow Brexiteers, he added: "Inflicting such serious economic and political harm on the country will leave an indelible impression of incompetence in the minds of the public."

The "democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say", he argued.

Serious impact?

Image copyright PA Image caption Mr Johnson was elected MP for Orpington in 2010 and was made transport minister in January

Analysis by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg

For some time, Jo Johnson has struggled with the unfolding reality of Brexit.

A well-respected and liked member of the government, he has decided that what was promised to people during the referendum campaign is now so different to what is on the table that he has quit the government instead.

He's not the first, nor the best-known minister to resign over Brexit. But to leave at this moment, right when Theresa May is trying to stitch together a final deal, could have a serious impact.

Read Laura's full blog

He added: "This would not be about re-running the 2016 referendum, but about asking people whether they want to go ahead with Brexit now that we know the deal that is actually available to us, whether we should leave without any deal at all or whether people on balance would rather stick with the deal we already have inside the European Union.

"Britain stands on the brink of the greatest crisis since the Second World War. My loyalty to the party is undimmed. I have never rebelled on any issue before now.

"But my duty to my constituents and our great nation has forced me to act."

'Authority lost'

In response, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The referendum in 2016 was the biggest democratic exercise in this country's history. We will not under any circumstances have a second referendum.

"The prime minister thanks Jo Johnson for his work in government."

Mr Johnson is the sixth minister in Theresa May's government to resign specifically over Brexit, following David Davis, Boris Johnson, Philip Lee, Steve Baker and Guto Bebb.

For Labour, Shadow Brexit Minister Jenny Chapman said Mrs May had "lost all authority and is incapable of negotiating a Brexit deal within her own party, let alone with the EU".

But asked in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel whether he would stop Brexit if he had the chance, Jeremy Corbyn replied: "We can't stop it, the referendum took place."

Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable, whose party supports calls for a "People's Vote" on the final deal, said: "We warmly welcome Jo Johnson's support of the campaign to give the people the final say on the deal and a chance to exit from Brexit.

"This is a fascinating situation in which Jo and his sister are united in opposing their brother Boris and his Brexit plans."

Brexiteer Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns tweeted that she did not agree with him about another referendum - but his intervention highlighted unease on both sides of the debate, with the PM's efforts to secure a deal.

And pro-Remain Conservative Anna Soubry supported his decision and said it was time for another referendum.

Skip Twitter post by @Anna_Soubry Huge respect for @JoJohnsonUK . It’s tough resigning from a Ministerial post, he’s done the right thing. Now is the time for people to stand up for what they believe in or we will sleepwalk to a #Brexit disaster. There is another way – it’s a @peoplesvote_uk — Anna Soubry MP (@Anna_Soubry) November 9, 2018 Report

David Davis, who quit as Brexit Secretary over Mrs May's Chequers Brexit plan, tweeted:</s>Transport minister says he cannot support deal and will push for second referendum

Theresa May’s hopes of winning parliament’s backing for her Brexit deal have been plunged into fresh doubt after Jo Johnson resigned from the government and accused her of offering MPs a choice between “vassalage and chaos”.

Four months after his Brexiter brother Boris quit as foreign secretary, the remainer MP for Orpington, and erstwhile transport minister, said he could not vote for the deal that May is expected to bring back to parliament within weeks, and instead would throw his weight behind a second referendum.

Profile Jo Johnson MP Show Hide Jo Johnson MP: the less well-known younger brother When Jo Johnson made his maiden speech in the House of Commons, shortly after his election in 2010, he was keen to highlight the differences with his better known, older brother. “Anyone hoping that I will enliven proceedings in the manner of one of my elder brothers, the former member for Henley, is likely to be disappointed,” the newly elected MP said, before giving a short political history of his constituency, Orpington in Kent. Yet, humour apart, the similarities between Boris and Jo are far greater than the differences. Both were educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, although Jo, seven-and-a-half-years younger, outshone Boris with a first in modern history. Jo Johnson also pursued a career in journalism before entering politics, after a short stint at Deutsche Bank. He worked at the Financial Times for 13 years, where he edited the Lex investment column after stints abroad in Paris and New Delhi. The 46-year-old was selected for the safe Conservative seat of Orpington by the narrowest of margins, beating Sajid Javid, after the first ballot between the two was tied. He won by a single vote among association members on the second ballot. A ministerial career looked likely and Johnson became the first in his family to get a job at No 10 when he was made head of the Downing Street policy unit by David Cameron in 2013 although, at the time, there was some surprise not because of his talents but because of his relative leftwing views. Some colleagues even described him as “pro European” but he compiled the 2015 manifesto on behalf of Cameron, which included the fateful promise to hold an in/out referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. Johnson subsequently became universities minister after the 2015 election, a job he enjoyed and in which he tried to wrestle with the problem of growing student debt, before, to his disappointment, he was reshuffled to become rail minister. In his resignation statement Johnson warned that Theresa May’s Brexit plans would leave the UK “vassalage and chaos”. If his career as an MP began with a promise that he would sound different to his brother, with his latest criticisms of the prime minister he sounds dangerously similar.

“It has become increasingly clear to me that the withdrawal agreement, which is being finalised in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake,” he wrote in an online article.

He said the public were being offered “an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in the EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business” or a no-deal Brexit “that I know as a transport minister will inflict untold damage on our nation.

“To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis.”

Jo Johnson (@JoJohnsonUK) With great regret, I'm resigning from the Government - I have set out my reasons in this article and the video below. https://t.co/hzimcS8uiR pic.twitter.com/hUN9RLzDfq

May is expected to call a special cabinet meeting next week as she tries to persuade ministers to unite behind her proposals for the Irish backstop. Brexit secretary Dominic Raab is believed to be particularly concerned about the risk of the UK being locked into a customs union with the EU indefinitely.

The pound fell on the foreign exchanges after Johnson’s resignation, sliding by almost 0.7% against the dollar to drop below $1.30.

Johnson said the mooted deal had united him in “fraternal dismay” with Boris, who stepped down as foreign secretary in July over May’s Chequers strategy.

“My brother Boris, who led the leave campaign, is as unhappy with the government’s proposals as I am,” Johnson said. “Indeed he recently observed that the proposed arrangements were ‘substantially worse than staying in the EU’. On that he is unquestionably right.”

The former foreign secretary tweeted about his “boundless admiration” for his brother:

Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) Boundless admiration as ever for my brother Jo. We may not have agreed about brexit but we are united in dismay at the intellectually and politically indefensible of the UK position 1/2 https://t.co/QI4tMpLecc

Their sister, the journalist Rachel Johnson, also tweeted:

Rachel Johnson (@RachelSJohnson) Am hugely proud of my honourable and principled brother Jo who has put the interests of the country ahead of his political career https://t.co/CCXH6bbDQF

Their father, Stanley Johnson, interviewed on Channel 4 News, praised his son and cited Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade: “The prime minister charges on into the valley of death. And thank God Jo has come out today with a bit of sanity. Saying we have got to draw back from this cliff edge.”

The former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine, who backs the campaign for another referendum, said: “This is a very significant resignation. Here is a young politician with everything to gain from staying inside the government, pursuing his distinguished career, keeping his head down and waiting for events to take their course.

“He has not done that. He has resigned on an issue of principle, putting the country before his party and his own career.”

As Johnson added his voice to the small but growing list of Conservatives calling for the public to be given a say on Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told German newspaper Der Spiegel: “We can’t stop it. The referendum took place. Article 50 has been triggered. What we can do is recognise the reasons why people voted leave.”

Corbyn and his frontbench colleagues have consistently said they will respect the result of the 2016 referendum, fearing that leave voters in Labour constituencies would reject the party if it swings its weight behind blocking Brexit.

Corbyn also said: “I’ve been critical of the competitions policy in Europe and the move towards free market, and obviously critical in the past of their treatment of Greece, although that was mostly the eurozone that did that. My idea is of a social Europe with inclusive societies that work for everyone and not just for a few.”

Johnson’s shock resignation came just hours after May’s de facto deputy, David Lidington, said he remained confident that the government could win MPs’ backing for the deal.

The Guardian view on Mrs May’s Brexit: blocked by naysayers | Editorial Read more

Johnson’s statement was published after May spent much of the day in France and Belgium, laying wreaths alongside fellow leaders to mark the centenary of the armistice.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The referendum in 2016 was the biggest democratic exercise in this country’s history. We will not under any circumstances have a second referendum. The PM thanks Jo Johnson for his work in government.”

We’ve been hurtling towards a blindfolded Brexit, so it’s about time politicians hand back control to the people Eloise Todd, Best for Britain CEO

Johnson’s resignation highlighted the fact that some Conservative remainers, as well as disgruntled Brexiters, could vote against May’s deal, threatening her chances of achieving a majority in the “meaningful vote”.

As negotiations with Brussels enter their final fraught days, May’s approach to the talks has come under fire from both wings of her warring party, with the pro-Brexit European Research Group and europhiles such as Anna Soubry, fiercely critical of her stance.

Following Johnson’s resignation, Soubry said: “Jo isn’t the only minister who shares these views and I hope others will follow his lead. We are reaching that time when people have to stand up and be counted, because if they don’t we are going to sleepwalk to disaster and it doesn’t have to be like this.”

The DUP, whose 10 MPs May relies on for her majority, has also suggested it could vote down the deal if it fears it could result in new customs or regulatory checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

In seeking to prevent that outcome, the government is proposing that the UK would effectively enter a temporary customs union with the EU if a trade deal cannot be struck by the end of the transition period in December 2020 to avoid such checks.

Johnson became the latest senior Tory to back the idea of a second referendum and appeared to support the approach suggested by the former education secretary Justine Greening, who has suggested a three-option referendum.

“On this most crucial of questions, I believe it is entirely right to go back to the people and ask them to confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, to give them the final say on whether we leave with the prime minister’s deal or without it,” Johnson said. “To do anything less will do grave damage to our democracy.”

His decision was welcomed by campaigners for a second referendum, with some privately suggesting other junior ministers could join him in the coming days.

Brexit: five things we learned this week Read more

Eloise Todd, of the anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain, said: “This is an incredibly brave move from Jo Johnson at a time when the public desperately needs more MPs to act in the national interest.

“We’ve been hurtling towards a blindfolded Brexit for too long, so it’s about time that politicians hand back control to the people of this country by giving them the final say on Brexit with the option to stay and lead in Europe.”

The shadow Brexit minister, Jenny Chapman, said: “Jo Johnson is the 18th minister to resign from Theresa May’s government. She has lost all authority and is incapable of negotiating a Brexit deal within her own party, let alone with the EU.”

• This article was amended on 12 November 2018. An earlier version referred to customs checks “between the UK and Northern Ireland”; this should have said “between Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.</s>A minister in the British government stepped down Friday to protest Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan and is backing calls for a second referendum on whether the country should leave the European Union.

Jo Johnson, younger brother of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said the withdrawal agreement being discussed by EU and British leaders would greatly weaken Britain and require the country to follow EU rules without having any say. The only alternative on the table, he said, is a no-deal Brexit that would “inflict untold damage” on Britain.

“It has become increasingly clear to me that the withdrawal agreement, which is being finalized in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake,” said Johnson, who was a transport minister in the government.

He said it would be proper to give the British public a chance to vote again because of the way the Brexit negotiations have evolved.

“Given that the reality of Brexit has turned out to be so far from what was once promised, the democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say,” he said.

His older brother Boris resigned in July to protest May’s Brexit plan — but Boris did so as a staunch support of a hard-line Brexit, while Jo Johnson backed the “remain” side during the June, 2016 referendum.

Jo Johnson’s resignation, and his call for a fresh referendum to test voter sentiment, further complicates matters for May as she tries to strike a deal with EU leaders that would pass muster with her own cabinet and win backing in Parliament.

She has consistently rejected the idea of another nationwide vote on Brexit, insisting her obligation is to make good on the will of the people as expressed in 2016.

Her Conservative Party remains deeply divided on her approach, and it is not clear if she will win wide backing from opposition Labour Party lawmakers when any proposed deal is put to Parliament.

© The Associated Press. All rights reserved.</s>LONDON — A minister in the British government stepped down Friday to protest Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan and is backing calls for a second referendum on whether the country should leave the European Union.

Jo Johnson, younger brother of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said the withdrawal agreement being discussed by EU and British leaders would greatly weaken Britain and require the country to follow EU rules without having any say. The only alternative on the table, he said, is a no-deal Brexit that would "inflict untold damage" on Britain.

"It has become increasingly clear to me that the withdrawal agreement, which is being finalized in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake," said Jo Johnson, who was a transport minister in the government.

To give the public a choice between these two disastrous versions of Brexit would be a "failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis," he said, referencing the 1956 conflict against Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser that is widely seen as marking the moment at which Britain formally lost its imperial role in the world.

Instead, Johnson said it would be proper to give the British public a chance to vote again because of the way the Brexit negotiations have evolved.

"Given that the reality of Brexit has turned out to be so far from what was once promised, the democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say," Jo Johnson said.

His older brother, Boris, resigned in July to protest May's Brexit plan — but Boris did so as a staunch support of a hard-line Brexit, while Jo Johnson backed the "remain" side during the June, 2016 referendum.

In a tweet, Boris Johnson said he had "boundless admiration" for his brother and that they are "united in dismay" at the indefensibility of May's position even though they disagree over Brexit.

Jo Johnson's resignation, and his call for a fresh referendum to test voter sentiment, further complicates matters for May as she tries to strike a deal with EU leaders that would pass muster with her own cabinet and win backing in Parliament.

She has consistently rejected the idea of another nationwide vote on Brexit, insisting her obligation is to make good on the will of the people as expressed in 2016.</s>Jo Johnson has resigned from Theresa May’s Government in protest at her Brexit plan, warning the country faced a choice between “vassalage” under her proposed deal or the “chaos” of crashing out of the EU.

Mr Johnson quit as transport minister and minister for London in order to vote against the Brexit deal whenever it comes before Parliament and called for the public to be given a second referendum.

The senior Tory, who campaigned for Remain, follows his Leave-supporting brother Boris Johnson out of Mrs May’s government.

The former foreign secretary quit in July in protest at Mrs May’s handling of Brexit.

In a blog explaining his decision, Jo Johnson said: “It has become increasingly clear to me that the withdrawal agreement, which is being finalised in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake.

“Indeed, the choice being presented to the British people is no choice at all.

“The first option is the one the Government is proposing: an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in the EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business.

“The second option is a no-deal Brexit that I know as a transport minister will inflict untold damage on our nation.

“To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis.”

He added: “Given that the reality of Brexit has turned out to be so far from what was once promised, the democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say.”

Boris Johnson backed his brother’s decision, saying: “We may not have agreed about Brexit but we are united in dismay at the intellectually and politically indefensible of the UK position.”

Jo Johnson acknowledged that the Brexit negotiations “have at least united us in fraternal dismay”.

He said that the terms of the Brexit deal being discussed with the EU would mean deciding key issues in the future relationship being put off while the UK is kept in a “boundless transitionary period”.

“This is a con on the British people: there is no evidence that the kind of Brexit that we’ve failed to negotiate while we are still members can be magically agreed once the UK has lost its seat at the table.”

He acknowledged that a no-deal Brexit could result in “Kent becoming the Lorry Park of England”, with real questions about guaranteeing supplies of food and medicines.

But even a no-deal Brexit “may well be better than the never-ending purgatory” that Mrs May’s plan would offer.

However, in a pointed message to his brother and other Brexiteers, he said: “Inflicting such serious economic and political harm on the country will leave an indelible impression of incompetence in the minds of the public.

“It cannot be what you wanted nor did the 2016 referendum provide any mandate for it.”

He said the public should be asked to confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, whether to accept Mrs May’s plan or leave without a deal.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “The referendum in 2016 was the biggest democratic exercise in this country’s history. We will not under any circumstances have a second referendum.

“The Prime Minister thanks Jo Johnson for his work in Government.”

Mr Johnson’s resignation came just hours after Mrs May’s de facto deputy said he hoped a deal would result in a “new dynamic” at Westminster, with MPs rallying behind the Prime Minister.

David Lidington said a UK-EU deal would involve “compromises, give and take on all sides” but when faced with “product on the table” in the form of an agreement backed by all 28 governments there could be a shift in attitude at Westminster.

“I hope and I believe that we can secure that majority in Parliament for the agreement,” he said.

Hopes of an imminent breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations have so far failed to be met.

But both Mr Lidington and Ireland’s Leo Varadkar suggested a deal could be reached between the UK and EU in the coming weeks.

The Taoiseach said: “A successful outcome is not guaranteed but I think it is possible in the next couple of weeks.”

But the fragile alliance keeping Mrs May in power has been strained as the Democratic Unionist Party railed against measures it fears will create a border down the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the Prime Minister appeared “wedded to the idea of a border down the Irish Sea” despite Downing Street’s repeated assurances to the contrary.</s>Jo Johnson, brother of Boris Johnson, has resigned from Theresa May's cabinet as Transport minister, claiming the Brexit deal being finalized “will be a terrible mistake,” calling for a second referendum or ‘people's vote’.

Johnson made the shock resignation via an online video through his Twitter account. The Orpington MP, whose brother Boris spearheaded the Leave campaign, warned PM Theresa May's Brexit deal would leave the UK outside the EU but “wholly subject” to its rules.

The now ex-cabinet minister, who campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum, made the stark claim that the issue of Brexit meant “Britain stands on the brink of the greatest crisis since the Second World War.”

He claimed the decision as to whether the UK now leaves the EU should be put into the hands of British citizens through a 'people's vote'.

Johnson said: “I think it is imperative that we now go back to the people and check that they are content to proceed on this extraordinary basis.

“Instead of 'in Europe but not run by Europe', we will be out of Europe and yet wholly subject to European rules.”

In his video, he insists that any hopes that existed for the “easiest deal in history” had now turned out to be “delusions.”

Tom Watson, Labour's Deputy leader, has called into question Theresa May's status as prime minister, highlighting the fact she has overseen a long list of cabinet resignations.

Labour’s shadow Brexit minister, Jenny Chapman, said Johnson was the 18th minister to quit May’s Tory government, adding: “She has lost all authority and is incapable of negotiating a Brexit deal within her own party, let alone with the EU.”

His resignation follows that of high profile Tories such as David Davis, his brother Boris, and Steve Baker who all fell out with the PM over her Chequers Brexit proposal.

Read More: Sinking ship? Spate of resignations could mean game over for Theresa May government

Downing Street have issued a statement saying: “The referendum in 2016 was the biggest democratic exercise in this country’s history.We will not under any circumstances have a second referendum. The prime minister thanks Jo Johnson for his work in government.”

It comes as Theresa May has been accused by the DUP of reneging on her promise to not sign up to a Brexit deal that treated Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the UK, warning the PM she couldn't rely on its support to get the plans agreed.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.</s>Jo Johnson has resigned from the government, saying he cannot support Theresa May’s Brexit deal, and MPs are being offered a choice between “vassalage and chaos”.

The MP for Orpington and rail minister published an article saying he could not vote for the deal which May is expected to bring back to parliament within weeks – and instead would be campaigning for a second referendum.

“It has become increasingly clear to me that the withdrawal agreement, which is being finalised in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake,” he said in an online article.

He said the public were being offered “an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in the EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business” or a no-deal Brexit “that I know as a transport minister will inflict untold damage on our nation”.

“To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis.”

He added: “On this most crucial of questions, I believe it is entirely right to go back to the people and ask them to confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, to give them the final say on whether we leave with the prime minister’s deal or without it.

“To do anything less will do grave damage to our democracy.”

Johnson said his objections to the deal were different to those of his brother, Boris, who stepped down as foreign secretary in July saying that he could not support May’s Chequers strategy.

Jo’s shock resignation came just a few hours after May’s de facto deputy, David Lidington, insisted he was confident MPs would throw their weight behind the government’s deal once it was published.

The prime minister is expected to hold a cabinet meeting next week in the hope of securing the support of her ministers for her negotiating stance – and hopes to strike a deal within weeks.</s>LONDON (AP) - A former U.K. minister says others may step down from the government to protest Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan.

Jo Johnson told BBC radio Saturday it is up to members of Parliament to take a stand.

He said that if others decide to resign, "good on them."

Johnson, the younger brother of Boris Johnson, stepped down as a transport minister Friday and called for a second Brexit referendum. He said May's Brexit plan would damage Britain's national interest.

He said the plan is so different from what had been promised during the 2016 referendum that a second vote is needed.

May has rejected all demands for another vote, saying the 2016 vote in favor of leaving the European Union is definitive.

FILE - In this March 3, 2016 file photo, Universities Minister Jo Johnson is photographed prior to giving a speech on science, universities and the EU at the Babbage Lecture Theatre, University of Cambridge in Cambridge. England. Johnson, the younger brother of Boris Johnson, stepped down as a transport minister Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 and called for a second Brexit referendum. He says Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan would damage Britain's national interest. (Chris Radburn/PA via AP, File)

Difficult negotiations between Britain and the EU continue.

FILE - In this March 28, 2017 file photo, Jo Johnson visits the the European Commission in Brussels. A transport minister in the British government stepped down Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 to protest Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan and is backing calls for a second referendum on whether the country should leave the European Union. Jo Johnson, younger brother of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, said Friday that the withdrawal agreement being discussed would greatly weaken Britain. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP, file)</s>UK ex-minister says other officials may resign over Brexit

LONDON (AP) — A former U.K. minister says others may step down from the government to protest Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan.

Jo Johnson told BBC radio Saturday it is up to members of Parliament to take a stand.

He said that if others decide to resign, "good on them."

Johnson, the younger brother of Boris Johnson, stepped down as a transport minister Friday and called for a second Brexit referendum. He said May's Brexit plan would damage Britain's national interest.

He said the plan is so different from what had been promised during the 2016 referendum that a second vote is needed.

May has rejected all demands for another vote, saying the 2016 vote in favor of leaving the European Union is definitive.

Difficult negotiations between Britain and the EU continue.</s>The UK needs to "pause and reflect" before doing something "irrevocably stupid" over Brexit, Jo Johnson said a day after quitting as a minister.

On BBC Radio 4's Today he called again for another referendum, saying what was being offered fell "spectacularly short" of what had been promised.

The ex-transport minister said it would be a "democratic travesty" to not have another vote.

He denied his actions amounted to a coup against the prime minister.

Mr Johnson, who voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum, stood down as Theresa May's prospective deal with Brussels was being presented to Cabinet ministers.

He warned the UK faced a choice between "vassalage" under her proposals and "chaos" if it left the EU without a deal.

The MP for Orpington in Kent said he had "happily taken the decision" to end his own ministerial career and, when asked if he thought other ministers would resign, he said if they thought it was right thing for them to take a stand then "good on them".
• Brexit: All you need to know

Cabinet ministers have been invited this week to read the UK's draft withdrawal deal with the EU. Theresa May has said the withdrawal deal is 95% done - but there is no agreement yet on how to guarantee no hard border in Northern Ireland.

In a resignation statement on Friday, Mr Johnson, who is the brother of former foreign secretary and leading Brexiteer Boris Johnson, argued Britain was "on the brink of the greatest crisis" since World War Two, saying what was on offer wasn't "anything like what was promised".

Mr Johnson told Today: "My view is that this is so different from what was billed that it would be an absolute travesty if we do not go back to the people and ask them if they actually do want to exit the EU on this extraordinarily hopeless basis."

His call for another vote was attacked by the Conservative MP and leading Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the former First Secretary of State Damian Green.

Mr Green told Today another referendum "would be divisive but it wouldn't be decisive", and all the evidence showed the country was "still, more or less, split down the middle".

Mr Rees-Mogg said Mr Johnson was "re-heating 'Project Fear' to stop us leaving".

Mr Johnson is the sixth minister in Theresa May's government to resign specifically over Brexit, following David Davis, Boris Johnson, Philip Lee, Steve Baker and Guto Bebb.

For some time, Jo Johnson has struggled with the unfolding reality of Brexit.

A well-respected and liked member of the government, he has decided that what was promised to people during the referendum campaign is now so different to what is on the table that he has quit the government instead.

He's not the first, nor the best-known minister to resign over Brexit. But to leave at this moment, right when Theresa May is trying to stitch together a final deal, could have a serious impact.
British MP Jo Johnson resigns as transport minister over Theresa May's Brexit plan and calls for a second referendum.