Grant Shapps is new Home Secretary after Suella Braverman’s nuclear resignation

Suella Braverman slammed the PM in her resignation letter before Shapps was announced as her replacement (Picture: PA/Getty)

Grant Shapps has been selected as the new home secretary after Suella Braverman’s nuclear resignation letter.

The former secretary of state for transport was announced at Downing Street, after a dramatic day in Whitehall.

Former secretary Braverman claimed she was quitting because of a ‘mistake’ in sending an official document from her personal email.

However, the second paragraph appears to have been a very thinly veiled critique of the prime minister.

Braverman wrote: ‘The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

’Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we had made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics.‘

‘I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.’

Shapps last position was as transport minister between 2019 and September this year.

He was sacked by Truss, before being replaced by Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

Throughout his tenure at the Department for Transport, Mr Shapps faced many crises, not least subsidising most of the transport industry throughout COVID.

He was also forced to launch an ‘action plan’ to deal with the controversies over smart motorways.

Braverman resigned this afternoon in a letter to the PM (Picture: Getty)

MP Grant Shapps arriving at Downing Street (Picture: Getty)

The PM was seen looing incredibly stressed this morning, hours before Braverman resigned (Picture: Nigel Howard)

The former Home Secretary was seen a few hours after her resignation (Picture: LNP)

Braverman was seen leaving Parliament (Picture: LNP)

Shapps acknowledged that the government had been through a ‘very difficult period’ as he arrived at the Home Office.

He told reporters: ‘I accept that the government has obviously had a very difficult period.

‘That nonetheless means it is doubly important to ensure that we are doing absolutely everything in the basic areas.

‘Jeremy Hunt has done a great job settling issues in relation to that mini-budget.’

The former home secretary said she was leaving her role after a ‘mistake’ surrounding sending an official document from her personal email, as she criticised the ‘tumultuous time’ under Liz Truss.

The popular figure among the Tory right told Ms Truss she had made a ‘technical infringement’ of the rules by sending an official document from a personal email and was now taking responsibility.

Braverman is the third shortest-serving home secretary (Picture: PA)

In her letter, she added: ‘The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

‘It is obvious to everyone that we are going through a tumultuous time.’

The former contender for the Tory leadership, also said she has ‘concerns about the direction of this government’, warning that ministers have ‘broken key pledges’ to voters.

She said she sent the message to a ‘trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration’.

Following her resignation, multiple Tory MPs announced with the word ‘ditto’ that they would rebel against the government in a vote this evening.

They used the word in retweets of Chris Skidmore who said he wasn’t going to support fracking because of promises he made in the General Election.

He added: ‘I am prepared to face the consequences of my decision’.

It was reported that Braverman was sacked, however in the letter to Truss she stresses that she has resigned after just six weeks in post.

Braverman was appointed to replace Priti Patel when Ms Truss became Tory leader and PM.

She becomes the third-shortest home secretary ever.

He is expected to become the next home secretary (Picture: PA)

The full letter states: ‘Dear Prime Minister, 

‘It is with the greatest regret that I am choosing to tender my resignation.

‘Earlier today, I sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration.

‘This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules.

‘As you know, the document was a draft written ministerial statement about migration, due for publication imminently.

More: News

‘Much of it had already been briefed to MPs. Nevertheless it is right for me to go.

‘As soon as I realised my mistake, I rapidly reported this on official channels, and informed the Cabinet Secretary.

‘As Home Secretary I hold myself to the highest standards and my resignation is the right thing to do.

‘The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes.

‘Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics.

‘I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.

‘It is obvious to everyone that we are going through a tumultuous time. I have concerns about the direction of this government.

‘Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I have had serious concerns about this Government’s commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings.

More: News

‘It has been a great honour to serve at the Home Office. In even the brief time that I have been here, it has been very clear that there is much to do in terms of delivering on the priorities of the British people.

‘They deserve policing they can respect, an immigration policy they want and voted for in such unambiguous numbers at the last election, and laws which serve the public good, and not the interests of selfish protestors.

‘I am very grateful to all of my officials, special advisors and ministerial team for all of their help during my time as Home Secretary.

‘I especially would like to pay tribute to the heroic policemen and women and all those who work at Border Force and in our security services.

‘To oversee Operation Bridges – the largest policing operation in a generation – was a great honour and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve.

‘I wish my successor good luck.’

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Grant Shapps has been selected as Suella Braverman’s replacement after a dramatic day in Westminster.