Is Suella Braverman about to be sacked?
Suella Braverman is facing a wave of criticism after she took to The Times to criticise the Metropolitan Police for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests. In her article, she used her typical inflammatory language, calling protesters “mobs”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said Downing Street is “looking into what happened” with Suella Braverman’s article in The Times – in which she attacked the Metropolitan Police for its handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
Braverman said the pro-Palestinian marches, which began last month in response to Israel’s siege of Gaza, had been “problematic” because of “violence around the fringes” as well as “highly offensive” chants, posters and stickers.
“Right-wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law,” she wrote.
She describes the protesters as “hate marchers” and added: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza.
“They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”
The article has been widely condemned by former police officers and MPs, with opposition parties and some Conservatives calling for her to be sacked as home secretary.
‘Article not approved by No 10’
The prime minister’s spokesperson has now said PM Rishi Sunak did not clear Braverman’s article.
“It was not agreed by Number 10,” the spokesperson said.
According to the BBC, Downing Street reportedly suggested amendments to the draft, but not all of them were applied to the final article, which was published last night.
The ministerial code says all major interviews and media appearances, both print and broadcast, should “be agreed with the No 10 Press Office.”
has she finally gone too far?
The prime minister can punish a minister who is deemed to have breached the code. Options can range from demanding a public apology to sacking them.
It’s been a tough week for Suella Braverman – she’s already in hot water for her awful comments on homelessness, where she suggested that homelessness was a lifestyle choice. She’s known for outrageous comments and is often criticised for trying to incite violence – but has she finally gone too far?
The BBC reported:
Let’s remind ourselves of Suella Braverman’s recent remarks.
A year ago, she talked about an “invasion” of migrants.
Her deputy Robert Jenrick wouldn’t repeat the word.
A month ago, Mrs Braverman talked of a “hurricane” of migrants coming to the UK – and suggested too many were too squeamish about immigration.
Again, it was her colleagues left publicly squeamish when asked if they agreed with her language.
A week or so ago, another intervention.
The pro-Palestinian protests were “hate marches”.
And now her article in The Times.
“These latest comments are unhinged,” one senior Conservative tells me.
A senior Conservative MP adds: “The home secretary’s awfulness is now a reflection on the prime minister. Keeping her in post is damaging him.”
A third source, a senior Tory, claims her remarks about Northern Ireland are “wholly offensive and ignorant.”