South Suffolk MP and Justice Department minister James Cartlidge has resigned - just a day after insisting that he would stay on to complete vital legislation.
In his letter to the PM, Mr Cartlidge said: "I felt duty-bound to remain in post given the very challenging circumstances affecting the criminal courts. I took the view that there had to be some semblance of government in this crucial arm of our constitution. But the position is clearly untenable."
Mr Cartlidge said the Prime Minister had deserved the chance to try to reset his government over recent weeks - but said it was now clear that this was not remotely possible.
The South Suffolk MP was promoted to government last autumn after being Parliamentary Private Secretary to then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak during the Covid crisis.
His resignation comes as former Health Secretary and West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock added his voice to the calls for the PM to quit - and currently leaves only Suffolk Coastal MP and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey as the only county's only representative in government.
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