UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has resigned

LONDON – UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired controversial home secretary Suella Braverman on Monday as he began reshuffle his top cabinet.

Sunak’s office confirmed that Foreign Affairs Minister James Cleverly will succeed Braverman. In a shocking move, former Prime Minister David Cameron was announced as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Cleverly said it was an “honour to be appointed Home Secretary”.

“The goal is clear. My job is to keep the people of this country safe,” he added.

Cameron said in a statement that the country faced a “daunting set of international challenges” amid ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“At this time of profound global change, it has rarely been more important for this country to stand with our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voices are heard,” Cameron said.

“Although I have been out of front-line politics for the past seven years, I hope that my experience, as Conservative leader for eleven years and Prime Minister for six, will help me to help the Prime Minister meet these challenges vital”.

Braverman came under widespread criticism last week after printing an op-ed in The Times newspaper that ignored instructions from Downing Street and accused London police of political bias in policing protests.

The Minister of the Interior has long been a controversial figure. He resigned from the same job under Sunak’s predecessor, Liz Truss, over a serious breach of the ministerial code, after sending an official document from a personal email.

Braverman has repeatedly referred to pro-Palestinian marches in London as “hate marches.” In the letter to The Times, he said the protests were “disturbingly reminiscent” of past scenes in Northern Ireland, comments widely condemned as inflammatory and inaccurate.

Several far-right groups clashed with police in London after his remarks, which were criticized as undermining trust in the police ahead of a substantial Armistice Day protest on Saturday.

CNBC has reached out to the UK government for comment.

The UK has formally endorsed Israel’s right to self-defence following the horrific terrorist attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October. Sunak has since backed calls for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s retaliatory bombing of the Gaza Strip, which has claimed thousands of lives. of Palestinian life.

Late last month Tory leader Paul Bristow was sacked as ministerial assistant at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology after urging Sunak in a two-page open letter to demand a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Braverman also drew public ire earlier this month after describing homelessness as a “lifestyle choice” and proposing a new policy restricting the use of tents for rough sleepers.

The reshuffle comes as Sunak seeks to reassert his authority and reposition his ruling Conservative Party, which is ahead of the main opposition Labor Party by wide margins in all polls ahead of a general election before January 2025. .