Rishi Sunak sacks Indian-origin UK interior minister Suella Braverman
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked country’s interior minister Suella Braverman, the BBC reported as reshuffle of the top team of ministers is under way.
This comes as pressure mounted on Rishi Sunak to sack Suella Braverman after she was accused of stoking tensions ahead of Armistice Day violence.
Suella Braverman had last week defied Rishi Sunak by publishing an article attacking the police’s handling of a march that took place on Saturday. She was criticised for inflaming tensions and encouraging right-wing protesters to take to the streets of London, putting Rishi Sunak under pressure to take action.
What Suella Braverman said on the protests?
In a highly unusual attack on the police last week, Suella Braverman said London’s police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs” describing demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”
“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,” she said in a statement following far-right violence during the protests over the weekend.
“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 added.
The 43-year-old Goan-origin minister has repeatedly courted controversy in her senior UK Cabinet role.
Speaking to Sky News, armed forces minister James Heappey distanced himself from Suella Braverman’s controversial comments about the Met Police last week.
“There has been too much second guessing of the Metropolitan Police by politicians on the media,” he said adding that he would not have used the words Suella Braverman did – echoing UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.