Just as it seemed a brief calm was emerging in the Tory party, the Prime Minister has lost her Home Secretary. Suella Braverman has left her role with Grant Shapps brought in to replace her. The circumstances of her departure are shrouded in mystery for now – but government sources suggest this is not a simple resignation.
There has been friction between Braverman and No. 10 in recent weeks: at Tory conference, Braverman said a ‘coup’ had taken place when Truss was forced to abandon her 45p tax cut – and she is understood to have felt that Jeremy Hunt’s appointment proved she was right in her controversial choice of word. She was also at odds with Truss over immigration: she wants a big crackdown and Truss was more relaxed, even ready to throw visas in to new trade deals.
But the eventual cause of Braverman’s departure was – we’re told – something else entirely. In her resignation latter (below) she says she resigned because she sent an official email from the wrong account: a ‘technical infringement of the rules’. It was an official document about migration sent from her personal email to a parliamentary colleague. It is thought to have related to relaxing immigration rules which was viewed in Downing Street as key to economic growth and therefore the OBR forecast.
No 10 only learned of it after she cc’d wrong person onto email in which she shared it
Some in government suggest it relates to a security matter with figures in government suggesting Braverman made an ‘honest mistake’
Braverman still, however, manages to fire a parting shot or two. She voices concerns over the government’s manifesto commitment to reducing net migration (Truss is more relaxed about current levels). Then she says that she believes people who make mistakes should quit. ‘Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them and hoping things will magically come right is not serious politics. I have made a mistake. I accept responsibility.’
Coffee House understands that when it comes to Braverman’s successor, Sajid Javid was considered as well as Shapps. However, after Javid turned on No. 10 – calling, successfully, for the suspension of senior Downing Street aide Jason Stein over alleged hostile briefings – Shapps became favourite.
Either figure winning the role would have sent a signal to the party that Truss is reaching out. Shapps had been seen as the main plotter against Truss: he is now inside the tent. But with Braverman now on the backbenches, she has a new critic outside that tent. She has plenty of supporters on the right of the party and is still thought to harbour leadership ambitions. It means her departure still has the potential to further destabilise the government. Watch this space.
Read the full resignation letter below:
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. 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 goverment 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 boat crossings.
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 advisers 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.
Yours sincerely,
Suella Braverman
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