British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed Home Minister Suella Braverman on November 13, after she was at the center of controversy for her criticism of the police, in a cabinet reshuffle that had been expected for weeks.
“Today, Rishi Sunak strengthened his government team to ensure stronger long-term action,” the Conservative Party said on the X social network.
Sunak – who arrived in Downing Street just over a year ago, after the scandals of the Boris Johnson era and the ephemeral leadership of Liz Truss – aims to relaunch the government in view of the legislative elections scheduled in a year. According to polls, the Conservatives, who have been in power for almost fourteen years, are far behind Labour.
Last week, in an article published in the Times, Braverman criticized the London police for authorizing the November 11 demonstration for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The article, contrary to practice, had not received the green light from Downing Street, and many accused Braverman of interfering with the operational autonomy of the police.
Cleverley and Cameron
The affair was added to other controversies sparked by the statements of the minister, who has a far-right political orientation. In recent weeks Braverman had first described the arrival of refugees as an invasion, warning of a “migratory hurricane”, and then stated that the homeless sleep on the streets “as a lifestyle choice”.
The sacking of Braverman, 43, could cause new divisions within the Conservative Party. Some deputies close to her had in fact threatened to resign in the event of her replacement.
Braverman will be replaced by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Downing Street said.
Appointed head of British diplomacy by Liz Truss in September 2022 and confirmed the following month by Sunak, Cleverly has gained visibility in recent months by covering the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Before becoming MP Cleverly, a Brexit supporter and army reservist whose mother is originally from Sierra Leone, spent eight years in the London assembly, becoming an ally of Boris Johnson, who was mayor of the capital at the time. In 2018 he became vice-president of the party and eighteen months later co-president.
Sunak then surprisingly appointed former prime minister David Cameron, the man who called the referendum on Brexit, as foreign secretary.
No one expected Cameron, 57, to return to active politics after the difficulties caused by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
Cameron, who led the government from 2010 to 2016, declared on X that he wanted to put his experience at the service of the country, citing the problems related to “the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East”.
“Although I have criticized some of Sunak’s decisions, I consider him to be a strong and competent prime minister, who is exercising exemplary leadership at a difficult time,” he added.
This article is originally published on .internazionale.it
