Suella Braverman Breaks Silence After Being Fired as Home Secretary
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Suella Braverman has broken her silence after being dramatically fired as home secretary following days of mounting pressure. The former top minister has said it had been the “greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary”. In an ominous statement for Rishi Sunak, she added: “I will have more to say in due course”.
The controversy surrounding Ms Braverman began last Wednesday when she wrote an incendiary op-ed attacking the police as biased toward pro-Palestine protesters. This was followed by her vow to crack down on tents used by the homeless and her description of rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice”. The public outcry against her only intensified after she condemned pro-Palestine demonstrations as “hate marches”, which was blamed for far-right thugs descending on London and disrupting Armistice Day.
Despite the intense pressure, Mr Sunak had held off sacking Ms Braverman, fearing it could spark a backbench revolt. Ms Braverman is seen as a flagbearer of the right-wing of the Conservative Party and was serially accused of using her job as home secretary to campaign for the party leadership.
After Ms Braverman’s sacking was confirmed, Tory infighting began almost immediately. Andrea Jenkyns said she had been “sacked for speaking the truth”. Former Tory MEP David Campbell Bannerman said getting rid of Ms Braverman would be a “kamikaze” move.
James Cleverly has been moved from the foreign office to replace Ms Braverman as home secretary, Downing Street confirmed. And, in an extraordinary development, former prime minister David Cameron has been named foreign secretary to replace Mr Cleverly. The move will see the Tory grandee – who occupied No 10 between 2010 and 2016 – enter the Lords so he can take up one of the top jobs in government.
The Conservatives said Mr Sunak is carrying out a wider reshuffle which “strengthens his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future”. Ms Braverman’s sacking on Monday was the second time she had been forced out as home secretary in the past year. Last October she was forced to resign over a security breach amid the chaos of the final hours of the Liz Truss government.
Despite the controversy surrounding her, Ms Braverman has remained defiant and her statement that she will “have more to say in due course” suggests she is not done with politics yet. As the Conservatives look to the future and attempt to strengthen their team in government, they will be wary of the impact Ms Braverman’s words could yet have on their plans.
