Explained: How Suella Braverman’s resignation as Britain's home secretary spells more trouble for Liz Truss

The Liz Truss government in Britain is on the verge of collapsing after Suella Braverman suddenly quit as interior minister. In her resignation letter to the British prime minister, the Indian-origin Braverman said she had to go after she breached government rules but that she had concerns over the direction of Liz Truss’s government.

Braverman’s dramatic departure, coming just five days after Truss sacked her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, risks the prime minister now experiencing the sort of mass exodus of ministers that forced Boris Johnson to quit.

Braverman’s resignation comes on the back of her sending an official document from her personal email to a parliamentary colleague, adding that this marked “a technical infringement of the rules” and that it was therefore “right for me to go”.

My letter to the Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/TaWO1PMOF2

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) October 19, 2022

However, furious allies on the Conservative right suspect she was forced out by Truss and her new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt.

Let’s take a closer look at the reasons behind Suella Braverman’s quitting and its impact on the Truss government.

‘I quit’

On Wednesday, the 42-year-old Suella Braverman, whose parents have Indian origins, quit the government just 43 days into her role as home secretary.

In recent times, Braverman has been on rocky grounds with the prime minister owing to her stand on the trade deal with India, saying it would increase migration to the UK when Indians already represented the largest group of visa overstayers.

She had also attributed the violence in Leicester following an India-Pakistan cricket match to uncontrolled migration and the “failure of newcomers to integrate”.

While she acknowledged her mistake in using her personal email for official correspondence, she also accused the government of breaking “key pledges” and of “pretending we haven’t made mistakes”.

In her letter to Truss, she wrote: “Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics. I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.”

She further added, “Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I have had serious concerns about this government’s commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings.”

Also read: Rishi Sunak waiting in the wings as Liz Truss makes a mess of Brexit-hit British economy

Her replacement

Shortly after Braverman tendered her resignation, Prime Minister Liz Truss accepted it and wrote, “I am grateful for your service as Home Secretary. Your time in office has been marked by your steadfast commitment to keeping the British people safe. You oversaw the largest ever ceremonial policing operation, when thousands of officers were deployed from forces across the United Kingdom to ensure the safety of the Royal Family and all those who gathered in mourning for Her Late Majesty The Queen.”

The Liz Truss government also announced that Grant Shapps would replace Suella Braverman at the Home Office. Shapps was quoted as saying it was a “great honour” to be home secretary and added that he was “looking forward to getting stuck into the role… regardless of what is happening in Westminster”.

Incidentally, Shapps, the former transport secretary, was a leading supporter of Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership race. He has also been believed to be involved in attempts to get rid of Truss as prime minister. In fact, he had told a famous podcast just two days ago that he thought Truss was unlikely to survive.

Tough times for Truss

The British prime minister is now staring down the barrel after Suella Braverman resigned. Her departure has further imperilled the embattled Liz Truss’ grip on power.

Suella Braverman’s resignation further adds chaos to the week for the prime minister, at a time when Downing Street was desperate to show unity and stability in government.

With the second exit from the Truss Cabinet, the clamour for Truss to step down has become only louder. Former Brexit minister Lord Frost said the prime minister could not stay in office because she “campaigned against the policies she is now implementing”.

He wrote in The Telegraph: “As Suella Braverman made so clear this afternoon, the government is implementing neither the programme Liz Truss originally advocated nor the 2019 manifesto. It is going in a completely different direction.”

The Opposition also used the Braverman exit to target the Truss government. Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was “falling apart”, adding: “To appoint and then sack both your home secretary and chancellor within six weeks is utter chaos.”

The Scottish National Party leader Westminster Ian Blackford said the government had “no vision other than a desperate and undying desire to stay in office”.

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said: “The only solution now is a general election so the public can get off this carousel of Conservative chaos.”

With inputs from agencies

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