Politics is a cynical business. Especially when you're Boris Johnson.
Lord Christopher Geidt issued a terse statement last Wednesday night saying: “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.”
It was very clear and very succinct from somebody that usually puts this page to shame with his verbosity.
[His paragraphs are longer, for a start]
The following day, after some minor filibustering by the government, the full resignation letter was released.
Boris Johnson followed it up with a response here:
As it turns out, the disagreement Geidt had with the Prime Minister that forced his resignation having been left in an "odious position" was on the matter of steel subsidies and thus, Brexit-related, as trade policy expert Dmitry Grozoubinski explains:
The matter is also covered here very succinctly by another trade policy expert Sam Lowe, on what Lord Geidt actually [and by actually, I mean “apparently”] resigned over.
Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar
NEW: Lord Geidt says Boris Johnson put him in an “impossible and odious” position which forced him to quit as PM’s ethics advisor. Exchange of letters below 👇🏼 https://t.co/zrnsvPOABbSo - it wasn't the smoking gun that many had hoped for in relation to 'Partygate'.
Or wait - was it?