It is with deep regret that I wish to inform you that I have today tendered my resignation.

Only joking, as Peter Mandelson would say, I'm a fighter, not a critter. Hello and

welcome to the Red Box Politics Podcast from The Times I'm Matt Jorley.

Sex, drugs, money, speeding points, eggs, holidays, houses and lies.

So many, many lies.

Politicians resign for all sorts of reasons.

Sometimes it's for noble principled reasons.

Just last week, Lord Bates resign as a minister after turning up a few minutes

late for questions in the Lords but he's not escaping the government that easily.

Theresa May refuses resignation and he's been made to stay.

Maybe she hopes that when the time comes someone will

decline her resignation too. But what are the grounds for quitting? How do you do

it with grace and some dignity left intact? And is there ever a way back?

Joining me for this special episode of the Red Box podcast is Theo Barclay,

who's just published a book, Fighters and Critters,

chronicling some of the great political resignations.

Craig Oliver, who is David Cameron's Director of Communications, had to try to stop

resignations from happening before overseeing his own bosses departure from Downing Street,

and Jane Merrick, Red Box regular columnist who joined almost two decades as a political journalist has helped

ease one or two people from their political perch. Plus in an actor episode

released after this one I speak to Mark Harper whose quick and clean departure

from being immigration minister in 2014 as seen as the textbook way to resign.

...