UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this morning, sacked Suella Braverman as home secretary following her remarks about protesters and homelessness.
Suella Braverman was first appointed in September 2022 when Liz Truss became prime minister but resigned after violating the rules by sharing an official document from her personal email. However, Rishi Sunak reassigned her to the position six days later.
Braverman had criticized the Metropolitan Police and their handling of pro-Palestinian protests. In the article in Times, she wrote that there were concerns about the behavior of what she tagged as “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She said they were disturbing similarities to the scenes witnessed in Northern Ireland.
Additionally, Braverman criticized the Metropolitan Police, accusing them of a “double standard” in their handling of protests. These sentiments elicited widespread condemnation from former police officers and Members of Parliament. The aftermath saw clashes between the police and counter-protesters at pro-Palestinian rallies on Armistice Day.
Suella Braverman also said on social media platform X that some people chose to live on the streets as a “lifestyle choice” hence the distribution of tents to homeless individuals should be restricted. These remarks faced criticism from both Conservatives, opposition MPs, and homeless charities.
No stranger to controversies, Braverman advocated for asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda to reduce ‘illegal migration’ to the UK. When the European Court of Human Rights stopped the first migrant flight to Rwanda, she called it ‘unacceptable’.
Though police are anticipating a massive rally on Saturday, there are calls, including from the prime minister, for the cancellation of the Pro-Palestine march, as it is considered ‘disrespectful,’ especially because Saturday is Armistice Day, marking the end of World War One.
