Yesterday 14 November, things took a turn for the worse for Rishi Sunak. After he decided to sack Suella Braverman and make James Cleverly Home Secretary, she didn't go down quietly. She wrote an open letter to the PM, accusing him of breaking promises and her trust.
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Suella Braverman was brought back into office by Sunak in October 2022 after being forced to resign under Liz Truss' administration earlier that year. She had been in office for 6 weeks when she shared official documents with her personal email address.
According to her she agreed to work with Rishi Sunak as Home Secretary, but under certain conditions.
Rishi Sunak accused of breaking promises
In Suella Braverman's letter, she listed down key policies that Sunak agreed to support her with. The policies included reducing immigration, pushing a new legislation to stop the boats, protecting 'single sex spaces', amongst others. However, she claims that nothing has been done despite it being one year since he has been PM. She wrote:
You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies. Either your distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so. Or, as I must surely conclude now, you never had any intention of keeping your promises.
Suella Braverman's letter has been seen by many as an attempt to undermine Rishi Sunak, bringing his inefficiencies to the forefront. But there's more...
Suella Braverman's ulterior motive
She also took it as an opportunity to highlight her alignment and dedication to the Tory party and their promises to the British public. Some political commentators believe it was a deliberate move to push herself towards becoming the futureleader the Conservative party.
Camilla Tominey, political commentator and associate editor for The Telegraph, highlighted this in her opinion piece 'Suella Braverman’s killer resignation letter is an unashamed leadership pitch.' She wrote:
There may still be a year to go until the next general election, but this is Braverman positioning herself as the Right-wing candidate to succeed Sunak when the time comes.
She appears to have taken an early gamble on Sunak losing the next general election so badly that it will not just result in his resignation but a total reset of the party.
This is not the first time she's been accused of eyeingRishi Sunak's top position at the party and that of Prime Minister.
In May 2023, The Guardian reported that several Conservative MPs accused Braverman of 'making a bid for the future leadership of the party' and warned Sunak to be wary.
One unnamed senior Tory MP said:
Rishi needs to make it clear to her that she is either a team player or a backbencher.
While another said:
She’s not waiting for the election, but is pitching for prime minister now.
And she’s not the only one.
The division of the Tory party has never been clearer and only time will tell what the future of the party holds.
Read more:
⋙ Suella Braverman was named after a TV series Dallas: 'My name is actually...'
⋙ Suella Braverman receives two salaries, here's how much she makes
⋙ Suella Braverman: Here's what we know about her children George and Gabriella
Sources used:
The Telegraph:Suella Braverman’s killer resignation letter is an unashamed leadership pitch
BBC: Suella Braverman accuses Rishi Sunak of betrayal in scathing letter
The Guardian:‘A betrayal of our agreement’: Suella Braverman’s letter to Rishi Sunak in full
The Guardian: Tory MPs accuse Suella Braverman of making bid for party leadership
