Suella Braverman was reappointed to her role six days after being sacked for leaking government data (Picture: Shutterstock)
Rishi Sunak has been urged to address growing concerns about Suella Braverman’s reappointment as home secretary – amid claims she could be a ‘threat to national security’.
Ms Braverman was labelled ‘Leaky Sue’ in Whitehall after last week being fired by ex-PM Liz Truss for sending government documents from her personal email address. But six days later, she was back in post as part of Mr Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle.
Tory backbenchers last night called for an inquiry as critics pointed out that, when she was attorney general, Ms Braverman was probed over the leak of a story about MI5.
Mark Pritchard, a former member of the intelligence and security committee, tweeted: ‘MI5 need to have confidence in the home secretary.
‘It’s a vital relationship of trust, key to the UK’s security & democratic oversight of MI5. Any breakdown in that relationship is bad for the security service and government. It needs to be sorted asap.’
His comments came after ex-party chairman Sir Jake Berry, fired on Monday, claimed Ms Braverman had made ‘multiple breaches of the ministerial code’.
The PM was urged to address Tory MPs’ concerns (Picture: Getty Images)
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Discussing the incident which led to her recent sacking, he told TalkTV she sent documents to another MP ‘then sought to copy [in] that individual’s wife and accidentally sent it to a staffer in parliament’. ‘To me, that seems a really serious breach,’ he said. He also disputed Mr Sunak’s claim at PMQs that Ms Braverman ‘raised the matter’ herself, claiming: ‘Evidence was put to her… rather than the other way round.’
Shadow leader of the Commons, Thangam Debbonaire, said the apparent discrepancy needed looking into.
‘The PM must swiftly offer clarity to these contradicting versions of events, which relate to our national security.
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‘If Rishi Sunak has misled parliament and the country, he needs to correct the record urgently.’
Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi leapt to his colleague’s defence, saying she deserved a ‘second chance’.
The PM’s spokesman downplayed claims of a rift with MI5 saying: ‘The home secretary continues to have strong relationships with all operational bodies.’
Bookmaker Coral has Ms Braverman as favourite to be the first minister to leave their post at 4-1.
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Ms Braverman was previously probed over the leak of a story about MI5.