Being punctual is definitely one of the keys to success. Not maintaining time might again evoke a sense of guilt in those who love and live to work. The UK was left stunned when one of their most favoured ministers offered resignation after arriving late to the House.
House of Lords was left stunned after the shocking resignation of international development minister Lord Bates. He stepped down from his post voluntarily for arriving late and failing to answer the questions in the House.
As seen in the video, Bates' resignation prompted shrieks of "No!" from the members of the House. Bates apologized for his delay in arrival and deeply regretted the fact for being discourteous to Baroness Lister.
"I have always believed we should rise to the highest possible standards of courtesy and respect in responding on behalf of the Government to the legitimate questions of the legislature," he said.
"I am thoroughly ashamed of not being in my place and, therefore, I shall be offering my resignation to the Prime Minister with immediate effect," he further added.
Bates' apology sparked confusion among the members of the Conservative party for not being able to answer questions from the dispatch box. His decision, however, shocked many.
As he walked away Baroness Smith tried to calm down saying that it was not required of Bates to resign for the "minor discourtesy." Just an apology would have been good, she noted.
For a nation known for its ministers resigning over sex scandals as it happened in 2014 when UK Conservative minister Brooks Newmark resigned, today's resignation on high moral grounds has shocked many, including the House members.
The internet too went crazy over Lord Bates' resignation. Check out some tweets:
British Cabinet is bound by strict laws and morals. Bates resigned on moral grounds, keeping in mind the strict regulations of the cabinet where everyone is equal in the eyes of law.
Going back in history elsewhere, India's Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri offered his resignation after a railway accident in Mahbubnagar that led to 112 deaths in 1956. While speaking of the same in parliament, India's the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stated that he was accepting the resignation as it would set an example of constitutional propriety and not because Shastri was responsible for the accident.
