Suella Braverman, the former UK secretary of state for the Home Department was fired by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak days earlier, in what was called a cabinet reshuffle in light of the general elections next year. The real reason behind the dismissal was an article Braverman wrote for the Times of London which criticized the police for having double standards and a left-wing bias. Braverman’s article was not approved by the PM’s office and broke ministerial code.
This is not the first time Braverman has left a cabinet position midway, during the Liz Truss government in 2022, she served as the home secretary but left the position for sending an official document through her personal email that violated the ministerial code.
Reacting to the dismissal, Braverman said,”It has been the greatest privilege” to serve as the home secretary and that she will have “more to say in the due course.” A day after being let go, Braverman responded to her sacking in a three-page letter addressed to the Prime Minister.
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Braverman says in letter: “You failed to deliver”
Braverman wrote that she supported Sunak because of the firm assurances he had given her on key policies, that this was not a simple promise made over dinner to be dropped easily when challenged. She calls it a “betrayal” of their agreement and “betrayal of your promise to the nation”. The promise Barverman is referring to is Sunak’s pledge to do “whatever it takes” to stop the boats. She concludes that Sunak never meant to keep his promises.
“Someone needs to be honest: your plan is not working, we have endured record election defeats, your resets have failed and we are running out of time,” wrote Braverman. She talked about the Prime Minister’s rejection of withdrawal from the European Convention on Human rights as another way to push through the scheme a “betrayal”.
“You opted instead for wishful thinking as a comfort blanket to avoid having to make hard choices. This irresponsibility has wasted time and left the country in an impossible position,” she added.
She further accuses Sunak of equivocating, disregarding and having a lack of interest over multiple policies. “You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of the key policies,” she wrote. Braverman writes about Sunak failing to address the rise of “increasingly vicious anti-semitism” and racism that has become a challenge for the country.
Braverman wrote that she has become “hoarse” from continually urging the Prime Minister to consider a legislative ban on hate marches that stem from racism, intimidation, and glorification of terrorists which threaten peaceful cohesion of the community. She also accuses Sunak for postponing difficult decisions in order to protect himself from political fallout.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Responds to the letter
No. 10 Downing Street which is the Prime Minister’s office has responded to the resignation letter by ex minister Suella Braverman by saying Rishi Sunak believes in “action not words” and he is committed to continuing his efforts to stop small boat crossings.
The office added that the Prime Minister is “proud to have such a strong united team.” They reiterated their commitment to pass the toughest legislation on illegal immigration and thanked Suella Braverman for her service on behalf of the PM.
