Damian Green’s exit gives Theresa May a problem—and an opportunity
By BAGEHOT
AT THE last prime minister’s questions of the year, on December 20th, Damian Green loyally sat on Theresa May’s right and bellowed his support at all the right moments. Later that day Mrs May forced him to resign from his job as first minister of state, which in effect had made him Britain’s deputy prime minister.
A Cabinet Office inquiry found that Mr Green had lied when he asserted that he had no knowledge of the pornographic material discovered on his parliamentary computer by police investigating a government leak in 2008. (Mr Green continues to maintain that he didn’t download or view the material, none of which was illegal, but he admits that he misspoke earlier this year when he said that he didn’t know the police had discovered such material.) The Cabinet Office inquiry also found that allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour towards a Tory activist and journalist, Kate Maltby, were “plausible”.
