Sam Francis (BBC News)
London, November 13, 2023
Suella Braverman has been sacked as Home Secretary after she defied No 10 over an article accusing the Met Police of bias in the policing of protests.
Ms Braverman was accused of stoking tension in the article ahead of protests in London over the weekend. She said that serving as Home Secretary was “the greatest privilege of my life.”
James Cleverly has been announced as her replacement, leaving the post of Foreign Secretary currently vacant.
Speculation over Cameron
Another arrival at Number 10 on Monday morning was former Prime Minister David Cameron, prompting suggestions he would be returning to government as Foreign Secretary.
Mr Cameron, who has been out of Parliament since he stood down as a Prime Minister in 2016, could be given a seat in the House of Lords to take up his new position.
Ms Braverman’s sacking kickstarts a major Cabinet reshuffle by Rishi Sunak as he reshapes his top team ahead of next week’s Autumn Statement.
A quick guide to Suella Braverman
The following was written by BBC Reporters Rosemary McCabe and Emma Atkinson:
Ms Braverman was sacked following days of a political firestorm sparked when she wrote an article for The Times newspaper, accusing the Police of applying a ‘double standard’ and taking a tougher stance with right-wing demonstrations.
The article was not cleared by No 10 and it later emerged that Ms Braverman had defied a Downing Street request to tone the article down.
Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some Tory MPs had called for Suella Braverman to be sacked.
Comments deemed ‘Highly Irresponsible’
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that Ms Braverman’s actions were “highly irresponsible” and inflamed tensions and making the job of the Police harder.
Suella Braverman has been making headlines for remarks about protesters and homelessness.
The Home Secretary wrote an article in the Times which criticised what she called “pro-Palestinian mobs,” saying that scenes were “disturbingly reminiscent” of those seen in Northern Ireland.
She also slammed the Met Police for a “double standard” over their handling of protests.
Braverman’s article has been widely condemned by former police officers and MPs, with some Conservatives calling for her to be sacked.
Suella Braverman claimed on social media site X that some people living on the streets were doing so as “a lifestyle choice” and pushed for restrictions on giving tents to homeless people.
The comments prompted backlash from some Conservatives as well as opposition MPs and homeless charities.
Braverman is known to have ambitions to be the next Tory leader – she was voted out of the 2022 contest to replace Boris Johnson but still has strong support on the right of the party.
She has grabbed headlines with provocative comments such as saying Britain faces an “invasion” of migrants.
She was appointed Home Secretary, responsible for overseeing UK borders and policing, when Liz Truss became Prime Minister in September 2022. She then resigned after sending an official document from her personal email, which was against the rules.
She criticised the government saying it had “broken key pledges that were promised to voters.”
Six days later, she was put back in the position by Rishi Sunak.
About Sue-Ellen
Suella, short for Sue-Ellen, married Rael Braverman at the House of Commons in 2018 and their children George and Gabriella were born in 2019 and 2021.
Born in Harrow, north-west London she grew up near Wembley with her parents who come from Kenya and Mauritius.
Her mother was an NHS nurse and Tory councillor who also ran to become an MP.
Braverman has championed a plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, claiming it will curb “illegal migration” to the UK. When the first flight carrying migrants to Rwanda was grounded by the European Court of Human Rights she said the decision was “unacceptable.”
In June 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier High Court ruling that the Rwanda plan was lawful.
She worked as a Junior Brexit Minister but quit in protest of Theresa May’s EU deal.
A qualified barrister, she was made Attorney General, the government’s Chief Legal Adviser by Boris Johnson in 2020.
When she became an MP she took her oath of office on the book of Buddhist scripture Dhammapada.
