[ad_1]
Then British Home Secretary Suella Braverman (L) looks on as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (R) attends the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, on 12 November 2023, on the weekend of a protest that saw her fired on Monday. (Photo by Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP)
- British minister Suella Braverman has been fired.
- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reshuffled his cabinet on Monday morning.
- Braverman attacked police handling of a pro-Palestinian march, and was accused of stirring up trouble.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked interior minister Suella Braverman, one of his most senior ministers, a government source said on Monday, following comments she made last week about the police’s handling of a pro-Palestinian march.
Braverman had last week defied Sunak by publishing an article attacking the police’s handling of a march that took place on Saturday.
Braverman wrote that police should treat “pro-Palestinian mobs” the same way it does right-wing protests, and should stop “playing favourites”.
Critics said her stance helped inflame tensions and encourage right-wing protesters to take to the streets of London, putting Sunak under pressure to take action.
READ | More than 120 people arrested in London as pro-Palestinian rally draws far-right counter-protests
UK ministers are required to clear their media statements with the office of the Prime Minister. Braverman had not done so, Sunak’s office said.
Braverman was made home secretary by Sunak,’s predecessor Liz Truss in September 2022. She left the job after a scandal involving sending a document from a personal email address. Days later, Sunak reappointed her, raising early questions about how seriously his administration would take lapses – and about her power within the Conservative Party.
She has, at times, been described as a potential future leader of the party.
Sunak had been derided as weak for not taking action against Braverman over her article.
Braverman was consistently controversial during her time in office, taking a hard line on the deportation of refugees who reach England from France by small boats.
She also faced ethical questions over a speeding ticket, for which she avoided point-based penalties by requesting a a one-to-one driving awareness course.
READ | UK interior minister in the clear over speeding claims: Sunak
She said she had sought “bespoke arrangements” because of her “personal circumstances as a security-protected minister.”
Braverman has attacked her critics as liberal “tofu-eating wokerati” while saying shortly after she was appointed that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was her “dream” and “obsession”.
‘The greatest privilege’
Following her dismissal, Braverman said “it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary”.
“I will have more to say in due course,” she added.
Her firing came as the ruling Conservatives confirmed a major reshuffle of Sunak’s top ministers was underway — his first since becoming the country’s leader on October 25, 2022.
“Here we go,” the party said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Today @RishiSunak strengthens his team in government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future. Stay tuned for the latest.”
The changes, set to be announced through the morning, are expected to reward loyalists and younger emerging MPs, after nearly 14 years in power takes its toll on the Tories’ popularity.
The party has trailed the main Labour opposition by double-digit margins throughout Sunak’s time in power, and is widely tipped to lose the next election due next year.
– Additional reporting by AFP and News24
[ad_2]
Source link