Suella Braverman is ‘very calm’ as rumours swirl that she will be sacked as Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak – while pollsters say support is growing for her over Gaza protest
- Home Secretary said to be ‘sanguine’ over possibility of being sacked by the PM
Suella Braverman is said to be ‘very calm’ as rumours continue to swirl that she will be sacked as Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak.
The Home Secretary remains under fire from all sides after her allegations of bias were disowned by Downing Street and criticised by the Police Federation.
The allegations of police bias, made by the Home Secretary in The Times, followed pressure from senior Tories on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to ban a pro-Palestinian demonstration of hundreds of thousands of people today, which is also Armistice Day.
As the PM will decide if he will sack her, an ally of hers reportedly said she was ‘very calm’ and ‘sanguine’ about her political fate, adding that she has the ‘view that whatever happens, happens’.
This comes as pollsters have said that support is growing for the Home Secretary, with political research agency Public first saying they noticed rising hostility towards protests and the policing of them, advising the PM to tread carefully.
Suella Braverman (pictured leaving her Hertfordshire home this morning) is said to be ‘very calm’ as rumours continue to swirl that she will be sacked as Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak
As the PM (left) will decide if he will sack Mrs Braverman (right), an ally of hers reportedly said she was ‘very calm’ and ‘sanguine’ about her political fate, adding that she has the ‘view that whatever happens, happens’
Partner at the firm James Frayne said that voters are ‘tired’ by the continuous protests and ‘irritated’ over police tolerating the disorder and inconvenience, The Times reports.
READ MORE: Now TWO MPs threaten to quit if Rishi Sunak sacks Suella Braverman – as the right of the Tory party rally around the Home Secretary after her incendiary attack on the police’s handling of pro-Palestinian marches
He added that if she is sacked many voters will think it is because she was ‘too tough’ and will likely brand the decision ‘totally ridiculous. ‘If there are iron laws in politics, one is that home secretaries can’t be too tough.’
In her opinion piece, Mrs Braverman had written that ‘pro-Palestinian mobs’ are ‘largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law’, while aggressive right-wing protesters are met with a stern response by officers, whom she accused of ‘double standards’.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt distanced himself from her comments, signalling Cabinet unease by telling reporters ‘the words that she used are not words that I myself would have used’.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the Prime Minister ‘has confidence’ in Mrs Braverman, but did not rule out a Cabinet reshuffle.
But last night the Right of the Tory party rallied around Suella Braverman last night – with at least two MPs threatening to resign if she is sacked. One of the MPs considering their position is a parliamentary private secretary, an unpaid ministerial ‘bag carrier’ who acts as the eyes and ears of a minister among backbenchers, it is understood.
While Steve Hartshorn, national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales – which represents rank and file officers, said it was unacceptable for the Home Secretary ‘to publicly attempt to tamper with the operational independence of policing’.
In a statement, Mr Hartshorn said that ‘policing must be free of politics’.
‘It is entirely reasonable that the Home Secretary might raise concerns with senior police leaders in private, it is unacceptable to publicly attempt to tamper with the operational independence of policing,’ he said.
‘Policing must be free of politics. Operational independence is a key pillar of UK policing and must be respected.
‘Policing does not comment on political manoeuvrings, and we expect to be able to carry out our duties without political interference.’
Amid the criticism, Mrs Braverman gave the police her ‘full backing’ at a meeting with Sir Mark on Friday, a source close to the Home Secretary said.
The officer in charge of policing London during Saturday’s protest said that the force has been ‘clear’ on how it polices protests.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the Prime Minister (right) ‘has confidence’ in Mrs Braverman (left), but did not rule out a Cabinet reshuffle
In her opinion piece, Mrs Braverman (pictured) had written that ‘pro-Palestinian mobs’ are ‘largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law’, while aggressive right-wing protesters are met with a stern response by officers, whom she accused of ‘double standards’
The allegations of police bias, made by the Home Secretary in The Times, followed pressure from senior Tories on Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley (pictured) to ban a pro-Palestinian demonstration of hundreds of thousands of people today, which is also Armistice Day.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: ‘Our job is to ensure that we police without fear or favour, that we balance the rights of everybody, be that protesters, counter protesters, or people living or coming into London.
‘And our job this weekend is to ensure that people are kept safe and that is what my focus is on.’
More than 100 arrests for offences including supporting proscribed organisations and serious hate crime have been made over the last four major Palestinian protests, according to the Met Police.
Mr Taylor said that it will be a ‘very difficult weekend for policing’.
‘We have got a significant march taking place,’ he said.
‘We are aware there will be counter-protests, as well as a lot of people who would ordinarily come to London to mark their respect on Armistice Day, on Remembrance Sunday.
‘That means we need a large and robust policing plan in place.’
The number of officers on duty in London will be double the usual amount, with 1,850 officers on Saturday and 1,375 on Sunday.
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