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13-11-2023
LONDON: United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minster Rishi Sunak has sacked the country’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman as he announced the reshuffling of his cabinet on Monday, media reported.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary”, Braverman said, according to The Guardian, after being sacked. She added: “I will have more to say in due course.”
According to media, Braverman penned a newspaper article last week criticizing the way the Metropolitan Police handled a contentious Armistice Day pro-Palestinian march.
Following accusations that Braverman was weakening public trust in the police and their operational independence, pressure mounted on the Prime Minister to take action.
In the article in question, according to the British broadcaster, the politician blamed the police for siding with leftwing protesters and inflamed tensions ahead of Armistice Day protests.
She ramped up her attacks on people attending pro-Palestinian demonstrations, drawing comparisons between them and Protestant marches in Northern Ireland.
Braverman’s remarks have drawn criticism from both opposition parties and several Tory MPs, who referred to them as “offensive” and “inflammatory”.
One former Tory cabinet member called her remarks “wholly offensive” and “ignorant”.
Her statement earlier this month that homeless people’s living in tents is a “lifestyle choice” also infuriated many.
She was replaced by James Cleverly who had relished his job as foreign minister but who was seen as a safe pair of hands.
Braverman was appointed as the UK’s home secretary in October 2022. Before taking up the role of the country’s home secretary, she was the attorney general between February 2020 and September 2022, according to the UK government.
Return of ex-British PM David Cameron
Following his decision to sack Braverman, Sunak brought back former Prime Minister David Cameron to office in a surprise move on Monday, Reuters reported.
Cameron, who was ousted from power after his gamble to call a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union in 2016 backfired, was made foreign minister.
His appointment was welcomed by more centrist Conservatives, who say his international experience will help steady the ship.
However, Braverman’s removal and Cameron’s return angered some Conservatives on the right of the party. One lawmaker said her removal was disappointing and Braverman could become a vocal force on the so-called backbenches in parliament. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
