Braverman backlash mounts as foreign secretary defends reappointment | Politics news

James Cleverley has defended Suella Braverman’s reappointment as Home Secretary, saying she has a “very clear agenda” that the Prime Minister wants to see.

Mrs. Braverman resigned seven days agobreaching ministerial code by sending protected information from her personal email and left with scathing remarks about Liz Truss’s government.

But yesterday, she was hired by the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, as he decided a number of familiar faces to make up his office.

Policy Updates: Sunak’s first PMQs at noon as Braverman’s reaction grows

Labor attacked the move, accusing Mr Sunak of “putting party before country” by appointing Ms Braverman to win over the right wing of his party.

But Mr Cleverley said she had “very, very clear ideas about how we make the Home Office work better” and apologized for past mistakes.

“Suella made a mistake,” he told Sky News. “She herself said that she made a mistake. She apologized for this mistake and refused at the time.

“She showed a willingness to take responsibility for what happened, but ultimately [the PM] decided that he wanted to see the agenda that she set out, this very important crime-fighting agenda, back into the heart of government.”

Ms Braverman has made a name for herself in Parliament for her strong views on the so-called culture wars, recently attacking “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating woks”.

And she takes firm positions on politicsespecially around reducing new migration and her unwavering support for the Rwandan deportation scheme.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper hit out at Mr Sunock’s speech on the steps of Downing Street after becoming prime minister, saying his government would have “integrity, professionalism and accountability at all levels”. .

“Yet he has just re-appointed Suella Braverman as Home Secretary a week after she resigned for breaches of the ministerial code, security breaches, sending sensitive government information through unauthorized personal channels and after weeks of ongoing public disagreements with others ministers of the cabinet. “, she added.

“Our national security and public safety are too important for this kind of chaos. We don’t just need a new cabinet, we need a general election and a fresh start from the Labor party.”

Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael also said Ms Braverman’s appointment “makes a mockery of Rishi Sunak’s claims that he is ensuring the integrity of No 10”.

He called for an independent inquiry into the hiring, adding: “A Home Secretary who broke the rules is not fit for a Home Office who enforces the rules.”

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Meanwhile, questions remain over whether the new prime minister will go ahead with a planned Halloween economic statement staged in response to market jitters caused by Ms Truss’ tax-cutting mini-budget last month.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who remained in charge of the Treasury, reversed most of his policies when he took office just over a week ago.

But the House of Commons statement, scheduled for October 31, is expected to outline longer-term plans to address the fiscal black hole left in the government by Ms Truss’s short tenure, as well as a long-awaited forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility – something that was missing from the mini – budget.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverley told Sky News this morning that he had “no concrete confirmation of dates” and Mr Sunak “will want to take some time to work out the details” with his chancellor.

But he added: “We know it has to come soon. We know people want certainty.

“We know that people want a clear idea of ​​the government’s plans [but] whether it happens on that particular day, I cannot confirm.’

Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was “surprised and alarmed” that the Halloween announcement could be delayed and said it showed the “endless chaos… at the heart of government”.

“We still don’t fully know the extent of the damage the Conservatives have done to our economy,” she told Sky News. “We’ve seen all this chaos and we need to see these projections… as soon as possible.

“Big decisions aren’t being made, and that’s creating huge problems for our country … that aren’t being solved.”