Key Points
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Suella Braverman sacked as home secretary by Rishi Sunak - Foreign secretary James Cleverly replaces controversial minister
- Former prime minister David Cameron confirmed as new foreign secretary
- Wider cabinet reshuffle comes after Braverman’s unauthorised opinion article
- Ex-home secretary accused the Met Police of a double standard that favoured ‘pro-Palestinian mobs’
Rishi Sunak has sacked home secretary Suella Braverman following her criticism of the Met Police for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
On Monday morning, she was replaced by foreign secretary James Cleverly.
Last week, Braverman penned an opinion column in which she attacked London’s police force for what she claimed was bias in favour of left-wing protesters.
Number 10 had asked the minister to make several changes to the article but it was published unaltered.
She had also claimed being homeless is a “lifestyle choice”.
The Prime Minister was facing mounting calls to fire the now-ex-home secretary after a number of senior Tories distanced themselves from her comments.
The Conservative Party said the Prime Minister is conducting a ministerial reshuffle as he “strengthens his team in Government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future.”
SNS GroupFormer prime minister David Cameron was confirmed as the new foreign secretary in a shock move.
A Whitehall source said the Prime Minister “asked Suella Braverman to leave Government and she has accepted”.
Braverman said: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary.”
But she added: “I will have more to say in due course.”
Critics had accused her of emboldening right-wing protesters during Armistice Day, which the Metropolitan Police said made up the majority of those arrested on Saturday.
In her column, she claimed a double standard by the Met where right-wing protesters had been “rightly met with a stern response” while “pro-Palestinian mobs” were “largely ignored”.
Opposition MPs and some within her own party accused her of using “offensive” and “inflammatory” language that undermined public confidence in the police.
It’s the second time Braverman has lost her job as home secretary after she resigned from Liz Truss’s short-lived government last year for breaching security rules.
Responding to the news First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Never has someone been so unfit for public office as Suella Braverman.
“At a time when we need those in Government to bring communities together, she revelled in fanning the flames of division.
“The Tories are out of ideas and out of time, there should be a general election now.”
Who’s in and who’s out?
- Suella Braverman has been sacked as home secretary and replaced by foreign secretary James Cleverly
- David Cameron confirmed as new foreign secretary
- Health minister Neil O’Brien asks to leave the role to spend more time in his constituency
- Junior health minister Will Quince steps down due to his decision to quit as an MP at the next election
- Schools minister Nick Gibb also asks to leave his post as he decides to stand down at the next election
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