Welcome to the age of insubordination. The once rare sight of an underling refusing a direct order, or threatening to do so, is increasingly common. From the top down, defiance levels are rising.
Donald Trump’s election in 2016 provoked — and continues to provoke — an outbreak of internal dissent, starting with the decision of Sally Yates, his acting attorney-general, to order government lawyers not to defend his travel ban in court, which led to her sacking.
In the UK, three cabinet ministers last week warned they would rebel rather than countenance a no-deal Brexit. A ministerial aide, Alberto Costa, was fired after proposing an amendment to a government motion, to guarantee the rights of EU nationals in the UK if there were no deal.