Suella Braverman has accused Rishi Sunak of “betraying” a secret deal they made to secure her backing during the Tory leadership contest that paved the way for him to become prime minister.
In a scathing departure letter a day after she was sacked as home secretary, the right-wing MP launched a blistering personal attack on her old boss, saying he had “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies.
Politics Live: Braverman launches scathing attack on Sunak – in letter that ‘signals’ her plan now
In the three-page broadside, in which she branded Mr Sunak “weak, uncertain and lacking in leadership qualities”, she claimed she agreed to serve in Mr Sunak’s cabinet on “certain conditions” after Liz Truss’s premiership imploded.
She said this included commitments from the prime minister to reduce net migration and legislate against the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in order to deliver on the Rwanda deportation plan.
However, she claimed that despite sending “numerous letters on the key subjects contained in our agreement”, as well as making requests to discuss them and working up legal and policy advice, “this was often met with equivocation, disregard and a lack of interest”.
“You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies,” she said.
“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.”
Ms Braverman was sacked as home secretary during the prime minister’s reshuffle on Monday and was replaced by former foreign secretary James Cleverly.
The move has angered some on the Tory right, with David Cameron’s return to the frontbench to fill Mr Cleverly’s old position seen as a pivot to the centre ground.
In the lengthy letter, Ms Braverman told Mr Sunak he had “no personal mandate” to lead the UK after losing the 2022 Conservative leadership contest to Ms Truss.
She said her support for him was “pivotal” in him being installed as Tory leader six weeks later, and came on the basis of his “firm assurances” he would prioritise certain policy issues.
As well as stopping the boats, she said the commitments centred around delivering key pieces of Brexit legislation and providing “unequivocal” guidance to schools on protecting biological sex and safeguarding single-sex spaces.
She said: “These are not just pet interests of mine. They are what we promised the British people in our 2019 manifesto which led to a landslide victory. They are what people voted for in the 2016 Brexit Referendum.
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Braverman’s controversial career
“Our deal was no mere promise over dinner, to be discarded when convenient and denied when challenged.”
Small boats ‘betrayal’
In particular, Ms Braverman said Mr Sunak had not lived up to his promise to do “whatever it takes” to stop small boat crossings by failing to override human rights concerns about the delayed Rwanda deportation policy.
The plan to send refugees to the east African nation has been stalled for 18 months due to a series of legal challenges, with some Conservative MPs calling for the government to leave the ECHR in order to enact it.
Ms Braverman called Mr Sunak’s rejection of this idea “not merely a betrayal of our agreement, but a betrayal of your promise to the nation that you would do ‘whatever it takes’ to stop the boats”.
She accused the prime minister of “magical thinking – believing that you can will your way through this without upsetting polite opinion” and of failing to prepare a plan B should the Supreme Court rule against the policy when it delivers a key verdict on its lawfulness on Wednesday.
Read More:
Braverman’s letter to Sunak in full
What’s next for the Tory party’s most divisive politician
Mr Sunak sacked Mrs Braverman over the phone on Monday morning, clearing the way for a high-risk reshuffle aimed at reviving his faltering premiership.
She was purged after writing an unauthorised article in The Times which accused the Met Police of left-wing bias to pro-Palestinian protesters who have been marching for a ceasefire in Gaza. It was the latest in a series of inflammatory comments that was starting to rile members of her own party, including saying that rough sleeping was a “lifestyle choice”.
In her letter, Ms Braverman admitted she may “not have always found the right words” but said she wrote the article out of “frustration” that Mr Sunak would not ban the marches, calling him “uncertain, weak and lacking in the qualities of leadership that this country needs”.
She finished her attack by urging Mr Sunak to “change course urgently”.
She said: “Someone needs to be honest: your plan is not working, we have endured record election defeats, your resets have failed and we are running out of time. You need to change course urgently.”
And in a sign she will champion causes cherished by the party’s right on the backbenches – possibly with a view to her own leadership ambitions – she said: “I will, of course, continue to support the government in pursuit of policies which align with an authentic conservative agenda.”
‘Conservative soap opera’
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Suella’s letter is ‘latest Tory psychodrama’
In response, a Number 10 spokesperson said the prime minister was “proud to appoint a strong, united team” in his reshuffle and thanked Ms Braverman for her service.
They added Mr Sunak was still committed to stopping small boats, regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s court decision.
“The prime minister believes in actions not words,” they said. “He is proud that this government has brought forward the toughest legislation to tackle illegal migration this country has seen and has subsequently reduced the number of boat crossings by a third this year. And whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court tomorrow, he will continue that work.”
But opposition MPs have seized on the attack as an example of “yet more Conservative chaos”.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “Suella Braverman failed at every task at hand as home secretary and now she seems determined to drag everyone else down with her.
“While people struggle to see their GP or pay their mortgages, this government is too busy dealing with their own infighting. When will this Conservative Party soap opera end?”
The first known victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows has told Sky News he regrets not reporting his assault at the time to save others from “falling into the same trap”.
Burrows, 81, will learn his sentence at Chester Crown Court today after being convicted last month of dozens of sexual offences against young boys.
The judge told him it is “inevitable” he might never be released.
The former scout master had spent 27 years on the run, living in what he called “paradise” in Thailand, after stealing the identity of a friend and fleeing the UK when he was due in court in 1997.
A police photo of Burrows from the 1990s. Pic: Cheshire Police
He was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow in March last year.
The trial heard that Burrows had obtained positions of authority and systematically abused boys from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.
He had worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled boys and befriended other youngsters through amateur radio clubs.
One of those was his first victim, aged 14 at the time in the late 1960s, and now 71.
He told Sky News: “It’s been an awfully long time and after 57 years I’ve got to see the results at the end of it.
“It does actually feel like a weight’s been lifted. You hear that expression all through life, but it’s the first time ever really felt it.”
He described Burrows as a “devious, nasty creature”.
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The man, who cannot be identified as he is the victim of a sexual offence, attended Burrows’s trial and delivered a victim impact statement at his sentencing.
He said he wanted to do this because of the regret he carries to this day.
“I wish I’d said something when it happened because I feel that, in retrospect, if I would have said something, then maybe it would have stopped other people from falling into the same trap that I did,” he added.
“But at that time, at that age, I thought I probably wouldn’t have been believed, and I felt too ashamed and embarrassed and even guilty to even mention it to anybody else. So, I didn’t, and I regret not doing that.”
Photos of Burrows in Thailand. Pic: Cheshire Police
The man contacted police after seeing an appeal for help in finding the fugitive Burrows on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme in 2011. It would be another decade before he was arrested.
He said: “I really begrudge him those 27 years. It’s 27 years and he’s just left a trail of wreckage behind him while he’s enjoying himself.
“It’s a shame he’s not got another 27 years to look forward to in jail.”
Although he was the earliest victim on the indictment at Burrows’s trial, like detectives from Cheshire Police, he believes there could be other victims who have not come forward.
He said: “Personally, I don’t think I was the first victim. I think that he was probably fairly well practiced in the art of what he was doing prior to my meeting him.”
Burrows being met by police at Heathrow. Pic: Cheshire Police
Burrows was initially charged in May 1997 but failed to attend a hearing later that year.
He remained on the wanted list until police using facial recognition software matched him to a man using the name Peter Smith. He had stolen the identity of a terminally ill friend to obtain a passport.
After his conviction in March, judge Steven Everett told Burrows he had caused “untold distress and trauma to the victims and their families”.
The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.
RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.
The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.
The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.
All the aircraft returned safely.
John Healey. Pic: Reuters
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.
“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.
“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”
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Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’
Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.
“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.
“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”
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US intensifies strikes on Houthis
It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.
The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.
The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
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Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen
The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.
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