May Loses ‘Human Shield’ Ahead of Big Brexit Week
Rudd’s departure upsets a delicate balance at the top of May’s team.
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The shocking thing about the U.K. premier losing her sixth cabinet minister in as many months is how normal it’s become. It’s just another day in the life of Theresa May.
Yet the scandal over deportation targets that claimed the scalp of Home Secretary Amber Rudd is particularly problematic for May given that many of the policies under attack were set when she oversaw that department.
It was she who created the “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants, a legacy that is coming apart with stinging revelations that an older generation of Caribbean migrants brought in during the postwar reconstruction was threatened with deportation for not being able to prove their residency status.
For two weeks, Rudd acted as May’s human shield. Her departure will now make the premier the direct target. But she also served a bigger purpose. As the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union, she was a key voice countering pro-Brexit heavyweights.
Rudd’s departure upsets a delicate balance at the top of May’s team. Her successor, Sajid Javid, is a euroskeptic and that could tip the scales in favor of a harder Brexit.
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--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Williams at mwilliams108@bloomberg.net, Caroline Alexander
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