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And another one bites the dust. Suella Braverman – one of the most divisive politicians of the age – has been sacked as home secretary.

It marks the fourth dramatic exit from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet in just over a year – after the departures of Dominic Raab, Nadhim Zahawi and Gavin Williamson.

It’s not exactly a good look for a prime minister who promised to bring accountability, integrity and professionalism to Downing Street.

Follow live: Sunak sacks Braverman as reshuffle begins

But Ms Braverman’s fiery rhetoric on things such as immigration, policing and homelessness was starting to rile even those within her own party.

After an inflammatory article in The Times in which she accused the Met Police of bias towards left-wing protesters, and made an offensive comparison to marches in Northern Ireland, the writing was on the wall.

Tory MPs called her an “embarrassment” and “ignorant”, and accused her of being on a mission to deliberately get herself sacked in order to launch a leadership pitch.

More called for her to go on Saturday, with Scottish First minister Humza Yousaf suggesting the far-right had been emboldened by her comments, as a group of counter-protesters using slogans like ‘England til I die’ clashed with police on Armistice Day, while a pro-Palestinian demo that Ms Braverman had called to be banned went off largely peacefully.

Deliberate or not, her position in one of the most senior cabinet roles was no longer considered tenable by Number 10, who had not fully signed off the Times piece.

And so she was sacked as home secretary – and not for the first time – marking the end of a short yet turbulent career on the Conservative frontbenches… at least for now.

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Braverman criticises Pro-Palestine protests

Born to parents from Kenya and Mauritius and fluent in French, Ms Braverman’s political brand might seem unusual for someone of her background: she has risen through the ranks championing a hard Brexit, anti-immigration, “anti-woke” agenda.

But for someone who is currently making daily headlines, she was relatively unknown until a year ago.

The 43-year-old was first elected as the MP for Fareham in 2015 and spent three years on the backbenches before a brief stint as a junior minister in the Brexit department – a post from which she resigned over the “unacceptable terms” of Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement.

The move won her favour with Boris Johnson, who upon being elected as prime minister made her attorney general – the chief legal advisor to the crown.

It was a fitting role for Ms Braverman, who studied Law at Cambridge University and the University of Paris before qualifying as an attorney in New York State.

During her time in the post, she faced criticism from the legal profession for backing the Internal Market Bill, which sought to override parts of the EU’s legal divorce deal and was described by critics as breaking international law.

But it was only when she was made home secretary that she really become a household name, as she repeatedly became the centre of so-called “culture wars” rows.

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Braverman’s long list of scandals

The job was marked with controversy from the beginning.

Just weeks into the post in September 2022, she declared it was her “dream and obsession” to deport refugees to Rwanda – triggering a backlash from those opposed to the controversial policy (or what Ms Braverman and her allies might like to call the “liberal elite”).

Indeed, Ms Braverman caused a stir just some weeks later as she defended the government’s controversial Public Order Bill with a bizarre attack on “the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati”, whom she blamed for protest disruption.

And her claim that the country faced an “invasion of our southern coast” in reference to Channel crossings also drew condemnation.

But the first big scandal came when just 43 days into the role, she was forced to resign – effectively sacked – because she had breached government security rules by sending an official document from her personal email to a backbench MP.

Ms Braverman said it was a mistake, but her resignation letter took aim at then prime minister Liz Truss, accusing her of breaking “key pledges that were promised to our voters”.

Read more:
Braverman’s long list of controversies

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Labour: PM ‘too weak’ to sack Braverman

She would ultimately return to the top job just a week later under Mr Sunak, after the rapid collapse of the Truss administration.

The appointment was seen as a gamble, given Ms Braverman had originally backed Ms Truss over Mr Sunak in the leadership contest to replace Mr Johnson – after being knocked out early in the race herself.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Sunak of making a “grubby deal” at the expense of national security in order to ensure her support and keep her backers on the right of the party happy.

The PM denied the accusation, but regardless of whether that was the case, to what degree she has actually offered such support has been questionable.

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Was Suella Braverman’s migrant speech a leadership pitch?

Is Braverman running a leadership campaign?

While she is closely tied to the prime minister’s “stop the boats” pledge, Ms Braverman has undoubtedly proved to be a thorn in his side.

Her integrity has been called into question on many occasions, including when she was alleged to have asked her civil servants to arrange a private awareness course after she was caught speeding, and when she claimed grooming gang members are “almost all British Pakistani” – remarks seen as amplifying a far-right narrative and factually inaccurate.

Mr Sunak has been forced to distance himself from her language on several occasions, most recently declining to back her comments saying multiculturalism has “failed”, likening immigration to a “hurricane” and describing rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice”.

So divisive have her words been that some of her colleagues have accused her of undermining the PM by running a leadership campaign, pointing to speeches at right-wing events such as the National Conservatism conference in May.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman speaking during the National Conservatism Conference

But until now, Mr Sunak has appeared unwilling to rein in his home secretary – possibly out of fear of a rebellion on the Conservative right if he takes action against her.

Ms Braverman is now free to lead that if she so wishes.

Having questioned the integrity of the operationally independent Met Police, Mr Sunak seems to have judged she has finally gone too far.

Doubling down on her description of pro-Palestinian protesters as “hate marches”, she wrote in The Times: “Right-wing and nationalist protesters who engage in aggression are rightly met with a stern response, yet pro-Palestinian mobs displaying almost identical behaviour are largely ignored even when clearly breaking the law.”

Read More:
Analysis: Braverman has displayed breathtaking ignorance on Northern Ireland
Comedian raises thousands for homelessness charity after Braverman’s comments

She also said: “I do not believe that these marches are merely a cry for help for Gaza.

“They are an assertion of primacy by certain groups – particularly Islamists – of the kind we are more used to seeing in Northern Ireland.”

It was enough to make even Priti Patel – Ms Braverman’s right-wing predecessor – make a not so thinly-veiled retort at the COVID inquiry about the operational independence of the police “and that we as politicians were not there to dictate directly to the police as to when to arrest people”.

Other MPs accused her of fanning the flames of hate, while Labour turned the heat on the prime minister himself and his judgement in keeping her in post.

Now she is out of government. And some people think that was her plan all along, so she can focus her efforts on being the Tory right’s next leadership candidate.

We may not know if that is true, but what is clear is that this isn’t the first time she has landed herself in hot water and, in or out of cabinet, it’s unlikely to be the last.

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PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement

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PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew's housing arrangement

Sir Keir Starmer has backed a call for a Commons investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement.

The King’s brother is still living in the Royal Lodge, a 30-room Windsor mansion owned by the Crown Estate, despite relinquishing his Duke of York title last week.

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It has emerged he only pays a “peppercorn rent” on the property – a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid, but it’s nominal – often £1 a year or even nothing at all.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for a select committee inquiry into the Crown Estate, in which Prince Andrew would be called to give evidence.

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Ed said: “Given the revelations about Royal Lodge, does the prime minister agree that this House needs to properly scrutinise the Crown Estate to ensure taxpayers’ interests are protected.

“The chancellor herself has said that the current arrangements are wrong.

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“So will the prime minister support a select committee inquiry, so all those involved can be called for evidence, including the current occupant?”

Responding, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “It’s important in relation to all Crown properties that there is proper scrutiny, and I certainly support that.”

A document from the Crown Estate, which oversees the Royal Family’s land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003.

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Prince Andrew faces renewed scrutiny over his royal title and taxpayer-funded residence at Royal Lodge.

It reveals he paid £1m for the lease and that since then he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.

Andrew was also required to pay a further £7.5m for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

The royal is under pressure to do just that amid continued scrutiny over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

There has also been fresh focus on his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, which Andrew denies, after the publication of her posthumous memoirs.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him”.

Asked about his living arrangement on Tuesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC: “I do think people should pay their way and pay their fair share.”

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‘Man deported under ‘one in, one out’ scheme returns to UK in small boat

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'Man deported under 'one in, one out' scheme returns to UK in small boat

A migrant who was deported back to France under the government’s flagship “one in, one out” scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat.

The Iranian national was initially detained when he entered the UK on a small boat on 6 August. He was removed under the government’s deal with France on 19 September, and he returned on 18 October.

He has been detained once again, and Sky News understands that the government is set to expedite his removal back to France.

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The news comes as Sky News learns that more migrants have crossed the Channel on a small boat in 2025 so far than the entirety of 2024.

The “one in, one out” treaty with France allows the UK to return anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat back to France, in exchange for France sending to the UK the same number of people who have never previously tried to enter illegally.

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What is the UK-France migrant returns deal?

The man told The Guardian newspaper that he had been a victim of modern slavery at the hands of people smugglers in northern France.

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“If I had felt that France was safe for me I would never have returned to the UK,” he claimed.

“When we were returned to France we were taken to a shelter in Paris. I didn’t dare to go out because I was afraid for my life. The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the UK from France the first time.

“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest. Every day and every night, I was filled with terror and stress. Every day I live in fear and anxiety, every loud noise, every shadow, every strange face scares me.

“When I reached UK the first time and Home Office asked what had happened to me I was crying and couldn’t speak about this because of shame.”

The UK government’s position is that France is a safe country.

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PM and Macron agree migrant deal

‘Rwanda is further than France’

The aim of the agreement with France is to create a disincentive for migrants to make the dangerous crossing across the Channel. But Downing Street repeatedly refused to describe the scheme as a “deterrent” this afternoon, insisting that the scheme is among a number of measures the government is taking to stop small boat crossings.

A Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders, and we will do everything in our power to remove those without the legal right to be here.

“Individuals who are returned under the pilot and subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be removed.”

Former Tory home secretary James Cleverly quipped on social media that “Rwanda is a lot further away than France”, arguing that had their embattled scheme got off the ground, it would have been harder for migrants to make the return journey.

The prime minister is hosting Western Balkans leaders on Wednesday as the government tries to crack down on people smuggling and illegal migration.

But despite various government efforts, Sky News understands that more migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year than in the whole of 2024, Sky News understands

While the exact number of people who have made the crossing today is not set to be published until tomorrow, Home Office sources have confirmed that more than 36,816 people – the total for 2024 – have now crossed the Channel so far in 2025.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: “The previous government left our borders in crisis, and we are still living with the consequences. These figures are shameful – the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have detained and removed more than 35,000 who were here illegally. Our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“But it is clear we must go further and faster – removing more of those here illegally, and stopping migrants from making small boat crossings in the first place.

“And I have been clear: I will do whatever it takes to restore order to our border.”

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UK cracks down: Hundreds of crypto exchanges hit with FCA warnings in Oct.

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UK cracks down: Hundreds of crypto exchanges hit with FCA warnings in Oct.

UK cracks down: Hundreds of crypto exchanges hit with FCA warnings in Oct.

The Financial Conduct Authority renewed its warnings advising residents of the United Kingdom not to use unregistered crypto exchanges.

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