British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned on Thursday, saying that he cannot support the draft Brexit agreement between London and Brussels.

"Today, I have resigned as Brexit Secretary," Raab said in his Twitter message. "I cannot in good conscience support the terms proposed for our deal with the EU (European Union)."

The resignation announcement came just hours before British Prime Minister Theresa May is to speak to the British Parliament to sell the new draft deal, which was reached on Tuesday by the United Kingdom (UK) and the EU after months of intense negotiations.

Raab, the first to resign from May's top team after the draft deal was reached, is the seventh minister to step down from May's cabinet over Brexit through the past two years. His resignation is believed to set off new political crisis in Britain over how the country will leave the European Union in March next year.

Meanwhile, he also published his letter to May to explain his two reasons for resignation.

"For my part, I cannot support the proposed deal for two reasons. First, I believe that the regulatory regime proposed for Northern Ireland presents a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom," he said in the letter.

"Second, I cannot support an indefinite backstop arrangement, where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit."

Earlier Thursday, Shailesh Vara, minister of Northern Ireland state, resigned over the British government's planned Brexit deal, a new challenge to May's leadership.

Vara, who backed to remain in EU in the 2016 referendum, said he feared the UK would stay in limbo for years while a permanent deal with the EU was negotiated.

On Wednesday, the prime minister, after a five-hour cabinet meeting on the draft deal, cleared the first hurdle when cabinet ministers finally approved the draft terms of her EU withdrawal agreement, which needs to be ratified by the British parliament and the remaining 27 EU countries.

At present, she is facing a battle to get it through parliament as Brexiteer Conservative member of the parliaments -- as well as some Remainers -- condemned the plan, accusing her of breaking promises and handing control back to Brussels.

"The draft agreement is the best that could be negotiated," May said after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday. "The deal enables us to take back control." 

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