Suella Braverman, the controversial Home Secretary in British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, faced dismissal following her divisive remarks about pro-Palestinian protesters. The decision to remove her was announced on November 13, 2023, in response to an article she had penned in The Times of London a week earlier.
In her article, Braverman accused the police of showing favoritism and neglecting to enforce the law during pro-Palestinian protests in London. She even referred to the protesters as “hate marchers.” Reportedly, she had refused a request from the Prime Minister’s office to tone down her rhetoric. James Cleverly, the former Foreign Secretary, was appointed as her successor, while former Prime Minister David Cameron assumed the role of Foreign Secretary.
In a letter published on a social media platform (formerly known as Twitter), Braverman hinted at underlying tensions between her and Sunak since she assumed office. She revealed that she had agreed to serve as Home Secretary on the condition that Sunak would prioritize her key issues, such as reducing immigration and introducing laws to protect single-sex spaces. However, she claimed that her requests and proposals were often met with indifference and a lack of interest from Sunak and his team.
Braverman also accused the Prime Minister of prioritizing his own interests over their agreed-upon objectives. Their disagreements regarding the handling of pro-Palestinian protests in London became a breaking point. She wrote, “I have become hoarse urging you to consider legislation to ban the hate marches and help stem the rising tide of racism, intimidation, and terrorist glorification threatening community cohesion.” According to Braverman, Sunak’s team had disagreed with her for weeks on the need for legal changes in this regard.
Sunak’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nick Dickinson, a British politics researcher at Oxford University, suggested that the primary reason for Braverman’s dismissal was her perceived disloyalty to the Prime Minister, given that her article in The Times had not been cleared by Downing Street.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas had triggered mass protests in London, with hundreds of thousands calling for a ceasefire every weekend. On November 11, shortly after Braverman’s article was published, far-right groups like the English Defence League confronted pro-Palestinian protesters, resulting in violent clashes, nine injured officers, and 145 arrests. Dickinson believed that the connection between Braverman’s remarks and the clashes, coupled with her refusal to comply with Downing Street’s wishes, likely influenced Sunak’s decision to remove her from office.
This was not the first time that Braverman’s unfiltered communication style had caused trouble. She had previously referred to the UK’s migrant crisis as “an invasion” and homelessness as a “life choice.” In October 2022, she was forced to resign as Home Secretary after sharing confidential documents with a Member of Parliament. However, she was reinstated just a week later when Sunak assumed office after the resignation of then-Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The Home Secretary holds one of the most senior and influential positions in British politics, responsible for the safety of British citizens and overseeing matters related to national security, immigration, and law enforcement. Alongside the Foreign Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary’s role is considered one of the most critical in the British government.