Home secretary Suella Braverman has been sacked, sparking a major reshuffle of Rishi Sunak’s top team.
After days of intense pressure to axe Ms Braverman, the prime minister asked her to leave the government and she accepted.
On Friday we asked Independent readers whether they thought Mr Sunak should sack Ms Braverman - and whether they felt the Prime Minsister was putting off dealing with the controversial home secretary.
The majority felt that Mr Sunak needed to fire Ms Braverman, however many also speculated on whether being ousted from the cabinet was part of an eventual play to become the party’s next leader.
On Monday Mr Sunak finally made the dramatic move, sparking fears of a major rift between the PM and backbench Tory MPs.
Ms Braverman’s departure kicks off a reshuffle by Mr Sunak which will play out throughout the day. In an extraordinary return to frontline politics, David Cameron has been confirmed as the new foreign secretary.
The former prime minister will replace James Cleverly, who has been promoted to home secretary.
Here’s what readers had to say on Ms Braverman:
‘Attack from the backbenches’
Braverman needs Sunak to sack her at some point well before the next election, allowing her to attack him from the back benches and position herself as leader-in-waiting of whatever Tory rump remains. In the meantime, it’s as if she’s bought a copy of “Fascism for Idiots” and is working her through it chapter by chapter. Step one: undermine trust in the political system and the police. . . yep, doing that. Step two: become a populist demagogue with battalions of thugs awaiting your choice of the next target. . . yep, she’s working on that one too.
Fafnir
‘Lame duck’
If Sunak would sack Braverman the right wing Tory faction will withdraw their support for the PM, turning him into a lame duck, which will give the sacked Braverman more support to challenge Sunak as Tory party leader.
By not sacking Braverman Sunak keeps her close and her leadership ambition are muted.
Party politics over national interest, that is no way for the UK to mingle with the rest of the top countries. As a result the UK will be relegated to the ‘irrelevant countries’ league. The way back to the top will be hard, very hard and very long.
Rasputin007
‘Show us some respect’
I don’t believe that Suella Braverman should be sacked for her comments about the Met Police and the demonstrations planned for Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday
This is our sacred day where we remember those that gave their lives to give us the freedom that we enjoy today. I attend the service at the Cenotaph every year to remember them and the sacrifices both my parents and other family members made for our freedom. All our community come together for this one day a year to give our respects. It means so much to millions of us across our country. Why can’t we have this one day in peace to remember that so many of us wouldn’t be here today if so many millions of service people hadn’t given their lives for us.
Ms Braverman is speaking for the people who attend the Armistice and Remembrance services for just this one weekend a year to show us some respect.
Rob21
‘Fueling trouble’
She may well be stirring up division and hatred as a ploy for Sunak to sack her, and then she aims to be Tory leader after the next general election which the Tories are very likely to lose.
Let’s imagine her putting herself forward as Tory leader. First of all the Conservative Party is exceedingly divided, and she would divide them even more - thus making them unelectable for a very long time. The second thing is that there is absolutely no guarantee that she would become their leader. Yes, she has her far right supporters in her party, but there are many who are clearly against her.
At present, she is fueling trouble, and I actually wonder if legally she can be prosecuted. Let’s not forget that the Bar Council is not happy with her.
Christopher1959
‘Anti-woke martyr’
I don’t think Sunak is necessarily being weak, I think he knows that if he does sack her, she will cause far more trouble and will immediately start campaigning to replace him as Leader after the next election.
If she’s seeking the sack, then it’s right he should keep her close- make her squirm and frustrated.
She can always resign, but she doesn’t seem to want to- why is that? There must be some reason. Perhaps she is hoping to be seen as some kind of “anti-woke martyr”, rather than a reckless troublemaker unfit for office. She also seems to have a rather tenuous grip on the law for someone who is supposed to be a barrister. Not a great advert for the profession. Perhaps they should disbar her.
Northwing
‘A Conservative party in free fall’
Trust in the Police has never been so low, and never so important. The selfish pursuit of power and notoriety should not be at the expense of either our communities needing to express their views or our police. Braverman is wrong on so many levels, and a reflection of a conservative party in free fall where even patriotism (in following the constitutional norms) or competence of a Home Secretary is found wanting so obviously.
It comes in top of a dozen other occasions across the spectrum of the right that seem to have taken US koolaid. Better to have left it across the pond and allow Britain more measured and sane especially when we remember those that fought to keep it that way.
Andrew
‘This government must call a general election immediately’
Leaky Sue should be sacked or she must resign and then this government must call a general election immediately. The whole lot of them have completely have lost confidence of the majority of the nation.
If they do not think that is the case, if they call that election and win they would then have the backing of the nation for their divisive policies
14U
‘Spoilt child’
She’s like a spoilt child pushing at boundaries of behaviour, that stretch much further than they should. I think the reason that Sunak has not sacked her already, is because he is in a weak position within the country and his party, and he is too frightened to act. There has always been a lot of cowardice tinged with self preservation in politics, Sunak seems to have got a second helping.
bloodwort
‘In a bind of his own making’
She should not get the chance to resign. She should be sacked.
Sunak is dithering because he is in a bind of his own making. He sacks her and the right wing of the conservative party comes for him. He doesn’t sack her and looks spineless and weak leaving opposition parties plenty of ammunition to attack him with.
Rollo
‘The future leader of their party’
It is a very strange state of affairs where a Home Secretary can incite racial hatred and obviously cause far right thugs to turn up in central London where they attacked police officers ensuring that the Cenotaph was not damaged or defaced, and yet not be arrested and charge with a public order offence.
Braverman was already forced to resign and then was immediately re-instated as soon as Sunak became PM.
The extreme right wing people who now dominate the Conservative Party membership and who foisted Truss on us, see Braverman or the equally unhinged Kemi Badenoch as the future leader of their party after the likely election defeat that is approaching.
Sunak is weapons testing manifesto policy ideas hoping that he can find a magic bullet to keep the Tories in power, but he is appealing to the same prejudiced minority.
itiswhatitisbutitcouldbedifferent
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