UK’s trade envoy to Kenya Theo Clarke has resigned over what she termed as a severe lack of judgment of underfire British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
In her letter dated Tuesday, July 5, Clarke said her bold step to resign was due to the appointment of Chris Pincher to the UK government.
She who was appointed in 2019 and campaigned for Boris Johnson in his London mayoral campaigns,
Clarke condemned the appointment of a politician linked with sex scandals and further said that she no longer has confidence in Boris Johnson’s leadership.
“To learn that you chose to elevate a colleague to a position of pastoral care for MPs, whilst in full knowledge of his own wrongdoing, shows a severe lack of judgment and care for your parliamentary party,” she said.
Clarke made it clear that Boris Johnson’s handling of the scandal surrounding Pincher was central to her decision adding that as a female MP and a member of the equalities select committee, sexual misconduct ought to be condemned.
“As one of the party’s new female MPs and a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, I take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously,” Clarke said.
Clarke is among the four British top officials who have resigned in the recent past signaling a worrying trend for countries that trade with the United Kingdom, including Kenya.
Among the ministers who resigned are the Stafford Member of Parliament, British Finance Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, Andrew Murrison, and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid.
Her resignation is expected to delay the negotiations between the Kenyan government and the UK in a bid to ratify the Kenya-UK Economic Partnership Agreement.
