UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked his British-Indian Home Secretary Suella Braverman as part of his Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, after days of speculation since a controversial newspaper article attacking the Metropolitan Police was published without clearance from her boss, as per reports from 10 Downing Street.
The 43-year-old Goan-origin Cabinet minister has repeatedly courted controversy in her senior UK Cabinet role, most recently by accusing the Met Police of “playing favourites” when tackling aggressive Israel-Gaza protests in an article in The Times, putting Sunak under pressure.
The British Prime Minister faced attacks from members of his Conservative Party as well as the Opposition for allowing her to continue in her job after she acted in a perceived breach of the ministerial code.
What did Braverman say?
In her article, the Home Secretary accused the London Metropolitan Police of favouring pro-Palestinian supporters and slammed them for failing to treat "pro-Palestinian mobs" the same way as right-wing and nationalist protesters. She characterized pro-Palestinian demonstrations as “hate marches” and called for Saturday’s event to be blocked out of respect for Armistice Day events marking the end of World War I. According to Politico, this criticism went way beyond Sunak's own criticism and Braverman's remarks were not cleared by Downing Street.
“Unfortunately, there is a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters,” Braverman wrote in her op-ed. “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza,” she further said, comparing the protests to rallies held in northern Ireland.
Many politicians had slammed Braverman for using divisive and inflammatory language, and the Opposition questioned her judgment by questioning top officers. Labour Leader Keir Starmer even remarked that Sunak was "too weak" to deal with the situation. Sunak was left facing a major dilemma as sacking Braverman, a favourite of the Conservative right and a potential contender for future leadership, could now trigger its own backlash.
Braverman, who oversees law enforcement in Britain, must now resign, said Humza Yousaf, the first minister of Scotland. “The far-right has been emboldened by the Home Secretary,” Yousaf said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “She has spent her week fanning the flames of division. They are now attacking the Police on Armistice Day. The Home Secretary’s position is untenable.”
Braverman’s dramatic sacking comes after violent scenes in London on Saturday, when far-right counter-protesters vowing to protect war memorials from pro-Palestinian demonstrations clashed with police, resulting in the arrest of at least 145 people.
In an attempted reversal of her stance, Braverman in a statement said, "Our brave police officers deserve the thanks of every decent citizen for their professionalism in the face of violence and aggression from protesters and counter-protesters in London yesterday. That multiple officers were injured doing their duty is an outrage."
“The sick, inflammatory and, in some cases, clearly criminal chants, placards and paraphernalia openly on display at the march mark a new low. Antisemitism and other forms of racism together with the valorising of terrorism on such a scale is deeply troubling,” she said.
Protests in the UK
Over 3 lakh pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched peacefully through central London on Saturday, even as right-wing counter-protesters clashed with police, after a week of angry debate over whether to permit the event when Britain honoured the fallen soldiers in war.
The skirmishes between police and counter-protesters carrying the Union flag of Great Britain and the red-and-white flag of England appeared to confirm the concerns that Braverman’s comments would attract right-wing elements looking for an excuse to confront the pro-Palestinian marchers.
Police described the counter-protesters as mostly soccer “hooligans” from around the UK who spent the day confronting officers who tried to prevent them from attacking the march. Nine officers were injured, including two who were hospitalised.
Following the confrontation near the Cenotaph, police said the counter-protesters were not a single group and officers were tracking them as they moved away into other parts of London. If they attempted to attack the pro-Palestinian march, “we will use all the powers and tactics available to us to prevent that from happening,” police said.
(with inputs from agencies)
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