We read Suella Braverman’s ‘resignation’ essay to Rishi Sunak so you don’t have to
Suella Braverman’s letter to Rishi Sunak is a scathing attack (Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Former home secretary Suella Braverman has launched a blistering attack on Rishi Sunak in a letter published a day after she was sacked.
Braverman lost her role on Monday morning (13 November) as part of the prime minister’s Cabinet reshuffle, which has seen her replaced with James Cleverly and former PM David Cameron make a shock return to the front bench.
The sacking came after a number of controversial moves and comments by Braverman in recent weeks, including penning a newspaper article – reportedly without permission – where she accused the Metropolitan Police of “playing favourites” and describing homelessness as a “lifestyle choice”.
On Tuesday (14 November), Braverman published a scathing letter to Sunak, which we have read so you don’t have to.
Sunak promised anti-trans policies
Braverman outlined that she accepted the job offer from Sunak under “certain conditions” – following the failure of Liz Truss’ premiership – and agreed to support him because of the “firm assurances” he gave her on key policies.
One of these included issuing “unequivocal statutory guidance to schools that protects biological sex, safeguards single sex spaces and empowers parents to know what is being taught to their children”.
Currently, the government is working on guidance for schools on trans pupils but numerous leaks have left pupils, parents and educators deeply concerned about what the guidance will contain.
It has been suggested trans pupils will be forced to use changing rooms and toilets that do not match their gender and teachers will be made to out youngsters if they begin to use new pronouns or a name.
The guidance has been promised multiple times and then delayed, with the most recent pledge being that it will be published before Christmas.
Braverman continued the letter by stating Suank agreed to such terms and she “trusted” him to deliver on those promises.
“For a year, as Home Secretary,” she wrote, “I have sent numerous letters to you on the key subjects contained in our agreement, made requests to discuss them with you and your team, and put forward proposals on how we might deliver these goals.
“I worked up the legal advice, policy detail and action to take on these issues. This was often met with equivocation, disregard and a lack of interest.”
Continuing to attack her former boss, Braverman said Sunak has “failed” to deliver on the polices she was promised saying his “distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so” or, as she now concludes, “you never had any intention of keeping your promises”.
Her words are reminiscent of Nadine Dorries resignation letter earlier in the year, where she accused the PM of running a “zombie parliament” where “nothing meaningful has happened” since he took office.
Braverman accuses Sunak of ‘wishful thinking’
Another point Braverman raised is that Sunak undertakes “wishful thinking” over his pledge to ‘stop the boats’, reduce immigration levels and send people who come to the UK illegally to Rwanda.
She went on to say he has adopted wishful thinking as a “comfort blanket to avoid having to make hard choices”.
The letter came just hours before the Supreme Court issued its ruling on the government’s Rwanda policy, with the decision being that it was unlawful and could put people sent to the East African nation at risk.
The ruling, which was welcomed by refugee and LGBTQ+ charities and advocacy groups, spells the end of an 18 month court battle over the controversial plans – which Braverman previously described as her “dream” and “obsession”.
Braverman ‘disappointed’ by Sunak’s response to the so-called ‘hate marches’
Prior to her sacking, Braverman was accused by her opponents of stoking tensions by labelling pro-Palestine marches, which call for a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel conflict, as “hate marches”.
At the same time, she penned a controversial piece in The Times where she accused the Metropolitan Police of a “double standard” over the protests.
The march in London during Armistice weekend was attended by more than 300,000 people and saw right-wing groups counterprotest, with police arresting people throughout the day from both protests.
Braverman blasted Sunak’s response, saying he has failed to address “increasingly vicious antisemitism and extremism” in the wake of the 7 October Hamas attack
“I have become hoarse urging you to consider legislation to ban the hate marches and help stem the rising tide of racism, intimidation and terrorist glorification threatening community cohesion,” she wrote, “Britain is at a turning point in our history and faces a threat of radicalisation and extremism in a way not seen for 20 years.”
She continued: “I regret to say that your response has been uncertain, weak, and lacking in the qualities of leadership that this country needs.
“Rather than fully acknowledge the severity of this threat, your team disagreed with me for weeks that the law needed changing.”
Braverman claims this is an unsurprising response from the PM as he “puts off” “tough decisions in order to minimise political risk” to himself.
Sunak’s ‘plan is not working’
Concluding her letter, Braverman issued one final attack on the prime minister by claiming his “plan” is not working and cited the Conservatives recent by-election defeats as evidence of this.
In October, Labour swept to victory in both Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth, previous Tory strongholds, wins leader Sir Keir Starmer described as “history in the making” and “redrawing the political map”.
The loses spell disaster for the Tories 2024 election hopes, with many suggesting these wins are key indicators of how the next General Election will pan out. Noting this, Braverman said the party is “running out of time” and it “urgently” needs to change course to improve their election chances.
