Rudestuff,
He didn’t resign, he was sacked. What might be termed preemptive action.
To quote the Grauniad...
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...k-of-resigning
”Johnny Mercer has been abruptly dismissed as a junior defence minister after accusing Boris Johnson of breaching a commitment to implement a controversial pledge to prevent veterans who served in
Northern Ireland from being prosecuted.
The junior minister was preparing to quit on Wednesday but his resignation was accepted by the chief whip early on Tuesday evening, eager to put a stop to speculation he was on the brink of departure.
Downing Street said Johnson had “accepted the resignation” in a terse statement and thanked Mercer “for his service” as a minister since 2019 – forcing the ex-minister to publish a resignation letter dated to Wednesday.”......
https://www.theguardian.com/politics...k-of-resigning