Suella Braverman accused Rishi Sunak of having “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies and said his “distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so”, in a stinging letter after she was asked to resign.
In her letter to the Prime Minister, Mrs Braverman accused Mr Sunak of a “betrayal” of his promise to do “whatever it takes” to stop small boat crossings by failing to override human rights concerns about the Rwanda plan.
In a three-page letter, she told him: “Your plan is not working, we have endured record election defeats, you resets have failed and we are running out of time.
“You need to change course urgently.”
The bombshell letter, in which Mrs Braverman says Mr Sunak "has no personal mandate to be Prime Minister" is likely to set off a new round of Tory infighting.
Mrs Braverman claimed she had struck a deal with Mr Sunak, for her to support his leadership bid after Liz Truss’ administration imploded, and that there was a “document with clear terms” to which he had agreed.
This is potentially the most explosive allegation as it threatens the possibility that she could publish the document, if it exists.
In what appeared to be a swipe at Mrs Braverman, Downing Street responded to her verbal onslaught by stressing that Mr Sunak “believes in actions not words.”
A No10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister was proud to appoint a strong, united team yesterday focused on delivering for the British people.
“The Prime Minister believes in actions not words. He is proud that this government has brought forward the toughest legislation to tackle illegal migration this country has seen and has subsequently reduced the number of boat crossings by a third this year. And whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court tomorrow, he will continue that work.
“The PM thanks the former Home Secretary for her service."
In an admission of the controversies she has caused, Mrs Braverman said: “I may not have always found the right words.”
But she added: “I have always striven to give voice to the quiet majority that supported us in 2019.”
In a stinging finale, she said: “I will, of course, continue to support the Government in pursuit of policies which align with an authentic conservative agenda.”
She accused Mr Sunak of being “uncertain, weak and lacking in the qualities of leadership” needed for the country facing the threat of extremism and radicalisation.
However, many Tory MPs on the left and in the centre of the party are pleased to see her out of the Cabinet and Government.
Mrs Braverman's time as Home Secretary was marked by controversy, especially in recent weeks after she lobbied for a crackdown on homeless people staying in tents and described some homelessness as a "lifestyle choice".
Days later in an extraordinary article in The Times she accused the Metropolitan Police of bias in their policing of protests with officers being harsher on right-wing disruption. She also called pro-Palestine protests "hate marches", language her Cabinet colleagues refused to endorse or repeat.
But in her resignation letter she repeated those remarks, saying: "I have become hoarse urging you to consider legislation to ban the hate marches…”
She accused the PM of seeking to “put off tough decisions in order to minimise political risk to yourself”.
