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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Steph Brawn

Suella Braverman's worst moments as home secretary

THE sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary has come after the Tory MP found herself in hot water on a number of occasions.

It was also off the back of an explosive Times column she wrote without full permission from Number 10 criticising the Metropolitan Police’s approach to pro-Palestinian marches.

But there are many more times Braverman has ruffled feathers during her time in the Cabinet. Here are some of her worst moments...

‘Invasion’ of migrants

One of the most shocking pieces of commentary from the Fareham MP was when she likened migrants arriving on small boats to an “invasion” last year.

She said: “The British people deserve to know which party is serious about stopping the invasion of our southern coast – and which party is not.”

Braverman went on to say that many of those making the dangerous journey were "facilitated by criminal gangs" and that some were "actual members of criminal gangs". 

She added: "So let's stop pretending that they are all refugees in distress.”

‘Obsession’ with Rwanda

Braverman has been sacked just 48 hours before a key Supreme Court decision will be made on the Rwanda policy she has been in charge of.

Judges will make a call on whether the policy – which would see some of those arriving on small boats sent to East Africa to have their asylum claims processed - is legal.

Last year, Braverman said it would be her “dream” to see asylum seekers being flown to Rwanda, adding that the controversial plan was her “obsession”.

Police ‘playing favourites’ with protesters

The events of the last week will likely go down as one of Braverman’s most outrageous moments in office when she undermined the Metropolitan Police’s authority.

In a piece for The Times – which was not signed off by her boss Rishi Sunak – she accused the force of “double standards” and of “playing favourites” with left-wing protesters ahead of a pro-Palestinian march planned for Armistice Day in London.

She also branded pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches” and used the Troubles in Northern Ireland as a point of comparison, making politicians across the Irish Sea furious.

The move angered dozens of her Tory colleagues and left her position untenable, with her sacking confirmed on Monday morning.

Homelessness is a ‘lifestyle choice’

Just days before her comments on the Met Police, Braverman had described homelessness as a “lifestyle choice” and claimed many living in tents were “from abroad”.

She vowed to crack down on “aggressive” begging and accused rough sleepers of causing “nuisance and distress to other people by pitching tents in public places”.

Her comments came amid plans to introduce restrictions on the use of tents in urban environments, including fining charities for handing them out if they’re deemed to have caused a nuisance.

Asylum seekers ‘pretend to be gay’

In September she claimed in “many instances” that asylum seekers pretend to be homosexual to get “special treatment”.

This sparked an enormous backlash from LGBT+ groups and prominent public figures including Elton John, who said she risked “further legitimising hate and violence” against LGBT+ people.

‘British-Pakistani’ grooming gangs

In a column for the Mail on Sunday, Braverman claimed that grooming gangs are "almost all British-Pakistani men".

A complaint was made to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) by the Centre for Media Monitoring – part of the Muslim Council of Britain – about the comment. This was upheld.

She wrote that the perpetrators behind the "grooming gangs phenomenon" were "groups of men, almost all British-Pakistani, who hold cultural attitudes completely incompatible with British values" and that they have been "left mostly unchallenged both within their communities and by wider society".

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