European Union's trade chief quits after ire over virus-rule breach

"This evening I have tendered my resignation," Phil Hogan said in a statement on Wednesday

The European Union’s trade chief, Phil Hogan, stepped down after growing criticism that he broke virus regulations in his native Ireland. 

“This evening I have tendered my resignation,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “It was becoming increasingly clear that the controversy concerning my recent visit to Ireland was becoming a distraction from my work.

”The resignation was accepted immediately by his boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who will now have to move quickly to fill the key post.