Suella Braverman – latest: Tory civil war over home secretary police row as Sunak urged to sack her
Leaked WhatsApp messages reveal divided Tory party as MPs clash over home secretary’s protest comments
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Your support makes all the difference.Rishi Sunak is facing a Tory civil war as he is urged to sack Suella Braverman over her controversial comments ahead of the pro-Palestine march today.
The home secretary has been accused of stirring “hatred and division” after she claimed the police are biased.
But her job is on the line after Downing Street made clear that it had not approved an extraordinary article in which she accused officers of playing favourites over a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day.
No 10 says it is investigating after it demanded that changes be made to the piece but the request was ignored. As the home secretary’s claims sparked a furious outcry, one Conservative minister broke ranks to accuse her of fuelling “hatred and division”.
Now, leaked WhatsApp messages between Tory MPs reveal discord in the party as Braverman backers and supporters exchanged heated messages on her comments on the police.
Meanwhile, George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, said the prime minister risked looking weak if he decided not to axe Ms Braverman.
Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi calls for Suella to be sacked ‘again’
Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi has called for Rishi Sunak to sack Suella Braverman “again” in the national interest, Archie Mitchell reports.
Baroness Warsi said Ms Braverman “needs to focus on her job not her personal political ambitions”.
“She was forced to leave for leaking sensitive documents and should never have been reappointed - she must now be sacked again,” the former Tory chairman added.
Mr Sunak sparked fury when he reappointed Ms Braverman as home secretary just days after she was forced to resign from Liz Truss’s government over a serious security breach.
Right-wing Tories are rallying behind the home secretary
Right-wing Tories have rallied behind the home secretary, warning Rishi Sunak “if you come for her, you come for us”, Archie Mitchell reports.
Suella Braverman’s backers have reminded the prime minister she played a key role in his selection as Tory leader, claiming sacking her will “end very badly for him”.
And they have sought to downplay her remarks as in line with the views of the majority of the country.
Tory MP Miriam Cates mounted a defence of Ms Braverman, telling the BBC her view is “very mainstream in the rest of the UK”.
She said she would "completely disagree" that Ms Braverman was making matters worse with her commentary.
And Ms Cates said we are at a “very serious moment” in British history and instead of talking about Hamas’s terrorist attacks, “we seem to be talking about which version of an article No10 cleared”.
One right-wing Tory MP told the Daily Mail: “There was an operation by the whips to stoke anger against Suella.
“But a large group of MPs on the Right pushed back. The message was simple: ‘Don’t try it, she speaks for us. So if you come for her, you come for us.’”
Royal British Legion backs pro-Palestine demonstrators’ right to protest amid march row
The Royal British Legion has defended pro-Palestinian demonstrators’ right to protest amid a furious row over whether a rally should be allowed to go ahead on Armistice Day.
The RBL has urged protesters to be peaceful and show respect as mourners flock to London this weekend to remember our war dead.
Amy-Clare Martin reports:
Royal British Legion backs pro-Palestine demonstrators’ right to protest
‘The British armed forces play a vital role in protecting the rights and freedoms of everyone in UK society’
Suella Braverman must resign now
As we just reported, Dominic Grieve has written a comment piece for The Independent in which he heavily criticises Suella Braverman and calls for her to resign.
You can read the article in full here:
Suella Braverman must resign now - Dominic Grieve
The home secretary has undermined the independence of the police and weaponised Remembrance commemorations for her own political ends. She must not be allowed to represent us at the Cenotaph on Sunday, writes former attorney general Dominic Grieve
Braverman ‘weaponised’ Rememberance Day commemorations for ‘own political ends'
Suella Braverman “weaponised” Remembrance Day commemorations for her “own political ends” and should resign, a former attorney general has said.
Dominic Grieve, the former MP for Beaconsfield, said the home secretary, should not be allowed to “represent us at the Cenotaph on Sunday
In a comment piece for The Independent, Grieve wrote: “This attempted weaponisation shows Braverman to not only be lacking in any understanding of her office or of what freedom under law is about, but to be positively dangerous to the development of common good in our society.
“She is inciting division herself and not acting to calm and curb intemperance and excess, or to modify, by debate, opinions with which she may properly disagree.
“She has sought to create a false narrative that lawfully demonstrating in a march on Armistice Day, about the war in Gaza, is in itself incompatible with being British and part of the collective national remembrance of our war dead.”
Sunak ‘too weak’ to sack Braverman - Reeves
Rishi Sunak is “too weak” to sack Suella Braverman, Labour’s Rachel Reeves has said.
The shadow chancellor described the home secretary’s comments in a recent newspaper article as “reckless and irresponsible”.
“At a time when the government should be working with our police force, the home secretary is undermining them, and when we should be trying to bring communities together Suella Braverman is dividing them.
“And the prime minister seems to be too weak to take the decisive action that is now needed.”
‘Nasty and vindictive’ Braverman ‘really needs to go'
The SNP’s Westminster leader has said Suella Braverman is a “nasty and vindictive” politician who “really needs to go”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme, Stephen Flynn said Ms Braverman was seeking to direct the police with her comments on protests.
Asked if the Home Secretary should be allowed to scrutinise the police, he said: “There’s a big difference between scrutiny and seeking to give direction to the police.
“Direction which, as I understand it … would break the law. This is a very dangerous moment and the Home Secretary really needs to go.”
“My own view on Suella Braverman is well known.
“I think she’s an incredibly nasty and vindictive politician, someone who attacks the most marginalised in society on a daily basis.”
He said people who wanted to protest peacefully this weekend should be allowed to do so.
Tory MP defends Braverman’s ‘mainstream’ views
Rightwing Conservative MP Miriam Cates defended Suella Braverman after the home secretary suggested police “play favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters.
“I think the home secretary has a view that is very mainstream in the rest of the UK,” she told BBC R4’s Today programme.
She said she would “completely disagree” that Braverman was making matters worse with her commentary.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, another Conservative MP, earlier told the programme Braverman had been “unwise” to share the comments she made about the police in the Times op-ed.
Sunak risks mutiny on right of party if he sacks Braverman - report
Rishi Sunak has been warned of a mutiny on the Tory right if he presses ahead with sacking Suella Braverman.
“There was an operation by the whips to stoke anger against Suella,” one of the home secretary’s allies told the Daily Mail.
“But a large group of MPs on the right pushed back. The message was simple: ‘Don’t try it, she speaks for us. So if you come for her, you come for us’.’
Braverman ‘guilty’ of using ‘everyday language’ - Anderson
Lee Anderson has weighed into the Suella Braverman row, saying the home secretary is “guilty” of nothing other than using “everyday language used by everyday people”.
In a post on X in which he took a swipe at Labour MPs for describing “Hamas or Hezbollah as friends”, the red wall MP said, “thank goodness we have a home secretary who refuses to be cancelled.”
“But Suella is guilty. Guilty of saying what most of us are thinking and saying,” the Tory Party deputy chair said.
“Thank goodness we have a Home Secretary who refuses to be cancelled. She is using everyday language used by everyday people. Labour MPs would know this if they got out more. “
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