LAST UPDATE | 26 Oct 2022
UK PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak he was “delighted” to reappoint Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just days after she was sacked for a security breach.
Sunak also spoke to the Taoiseach this evening, with Micheal Martin congratulating him on his new role and saying that he looked forward to the two Governments working closely together.
They discussed cooperation in the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and both agreed on the importance of EU-UK engagement to find agreed solutions to the issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Taoiseach and the Prime Minister reiterated their commitment to a strong British-Irish relationship and looked forward to an early opportunity to meet.
Earlier today Sunak told MPs that Braverman had “accepted her mistake” and was part of a “united cabinet”.
But Labour leader Keir Starmer said of Sunak: “He’s so weak, he’s done a grubby deal trading national security because he was scared to lose another leadership election.”
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats raised “national security” concerns and demanded a Cabinet Office investigation today after Braverman’s return.
Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the most senior civil servant, is “livid” over her swift return and “very concerned” about the breach, a source told the Times.
Labour later secured an urgent question in the Commons and asked Braverman to appear before MPs to explain what had happened.
But Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin was sent out to answer the questions, saying: “The ministerial code allows for a range of sanctions where mistakes have been made. The Home Secretary recognised her mistake, raised the matter and stepped down. Her resignation was accepted by the then Prime Minister.
“Ministerial appointments are a matter solely for the Prime Minister.”
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper earlier wrote to Case demanding an investigation “into the extent of this and other possible security breaches”.
“Given the Prime Minister’s decision to reappoint her to the Cabinet post overseeing national security, it is vital for the public to have transparency on what occurred,” she wrote.
“It must include the extent of the Home Secretary’s use of private email accounts to circulate Government papers and the extent to which official documents have been sent outside Government, as well as any other concerns that have been raised about possible serious information and security breaches by Suella Braverman.”
Liz Truss forced Braverman out after she breached the ministerial code by sending an official document to a Tory backbencher from a personal email.
Braverman, who had been in the role six weeks, said she made a “mistake” which she conceded was a “technical infringement” of the rules.
But questions remain about why she sent the document to fellow right-winger John Hayes and how she accidentally sent a copy to the aide to another MP, who sounded the alarm.
Starmer, speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, asked: “Was his Home Secretary right to resign last week for a breach of security?”
Sunak replied: “The Home Secretary made an error of judgment but she recognised that, she raised the matter and she accepted her mistake.
“That is why I was delighted to welcome her back into a united cabinet that brings experience and stability to the heart of Government.”
The Lib Dems also demanded an investigation into Sunak’s decision to reappoint her “including any promises Sunak made to her behind closed doors”.
Home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said in a statement: “If it is confirmed that Suella Braverman repeatedly broke the ministerial code and threatened national security, she must be sacked.
“A Home Secretary who broke the rules is not fit for a Home Office which keeps the rules.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt defended her reappointment, but declined to say whether he trusts Braverman, with the leaked information in question said to have been market sensitive.
Hunt told broadcasters: “She apologised for her mistakes. She’s been fully accountable for those mistakes, she stepped down as Home Secretary.
“But from the point of view of people at home, who want stability in the economy, they also need to see a united Conservative Party and that’s why the Prime Minister has put together a Cabinet of all the talents.”
“A plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream. That’s my dream. It’s my OBSESSION”
— In Context (@incontextmedia) October 18, 2022
UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on her “obsession” of seeing asylum seekers deported to #Rwanda. pic.twitter.com/Pfk1KgoZTy
Braverman has also come under fire from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Labour MPs for comments Braverman made about the UK’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
“I would love to be having a front-page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda. That’s my dream, my obsession,” she said at the Tory party conference earlier this month.
Her resignation was welcomed by MPs such as Jeremy Corbyn, who said:
“For the sake of humanity, we must ensure it’s the living dreams of refugees, not the dying dreams of Suella Braverman, that are actualised.”
Another Labour MP, Zarah Sultana, stated:
“Good riddance SuellaBraverman. It looks like you won’t get to live your twisted “dream” of deporting refugees to Rwanda. Now to end that vile policy once and for all.”
With additional reporting by Jamie McCarron
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