Tag Archives: Rishi Sunak

Suella Braverman Condemned For Migrant ‘Invasion’ Rhetoric – But Nigel Farage Says ‘Well Done’

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Home secretary Suella Braverman has been accused of “whipping-up hate” by characterising small boats crossing the English Channel as an “invasion” – but her rhetoric has won applause from Nigel Farage.

The under-fire minister used a Commons statement on the chaos surrounding the Manston migrant holding centre in Kent to deliver inflammatory comments that were widely condemned. They came a day after another holding centre in Dover was petrol bombed.

She told MPs: “Let’s be clear about what is really going on here: the British people deserve to know which party is serious about stopping the invasion on our southern coast and which party is not.

“Some 40,000 people have arrived on the south coast this year alone. Many of them facilitated by criminal gangs, some of them actual members of criminal gangs.

“So let’s stop pretending that they are all refugees in distress. The whole country knows that is not true. It’s only the honourable members opposite who pretend otherwise.

“We need to be straight with the public. The system is broken. Illegal migration is out of control and too many people are interested in playing political parlour games, covering up the truth than solving the problem.”

Braverman later agreed with suggestions from Tory MP Lee Anderson that some migrants can “get on a dinghy and go straight back to France” if they believe the accommodation in the UK is not good enough.

The Refugee Council described the home secretary’s comments as “appalling, wrong and dangerous”, and Labour MP Zarah Sultana hit out at language that “whips-up hate and spreads division”. “She’s totally unfit to be home secretary,” she added.

But she won the support of former Ukip and Brexit Party leader Farage, who said on Twitter: “Suella Braverman, who is under attack from Remainers and the globalists, has said what is happening in the Channel is an invasion. It’s a word I’ve been using for two years and been condemned for.”

He added: “Believe me, the Establishment are out to get her because she’s got the guts to say many of these people are just not refugees. Well done her.”

The Channel crossing crisis has deepened amid growing concern over the conditions in which migrants are being held while waiting to be processed once they arrive in the UK.

Conditions at the site at Manston were last week described by independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Neal, as “pretty wretched”.

The home secretary said around 40,000 people have arrived on the south coast of England in 2022, more than double the number of arrivals via the English Channel in 2021.

Braverman also defended her decision to keep thousands of people at the migrant centre after some of her colleagues accused her of deliberately ignoring legal advice to transfer people from the site to hotels.

Intended to house around 1,500 migrants for less than 24 hours at a time, numbers have swelled to more than double that, with one Afghan family saying they had been there for 32 days.

Braverman was reappointed by prime minister Rishi Sunak last week, six days after she resigned from the same role for sending a government document from her personal email to an employee of a member of parliament in breach of the rules.

Opposition parties and even some members of parliament in the governing Conservative Party have questioned her suitability for the role.

On Monday, Braverman acknowleged she had sent official government documents to her personal email address six times, raising fresh concerns about breaches of ministerial rules while in charge of the nation’s security.

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Want To Know Rishi Sunak’s Height? So Does Everyone, Apparently

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In four months, we’ve had three different prime ministers: Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now, Rishi Sunak.

On October 25, the multi-millionaire officially took the top job, becoming the first UK prime minister of Asian descent and the youngest one too.

Nearly all of us have strong opinions about the government, but the public awaits to see how the latest leader of the Conservative Party will lead the country. His policies aren’t the only thing people are discussing though, the public have another obsession regarding Rishi: his height.

The new prime minister is 1.7m, which means that he’s 5ft 6 – and people have strong feelings about this. The average height for men in the UK is 5ft 10, a fact which has made the PM’s height the talk of the town.

Some people are mocking his height

Others think the discussions around his height are unfair and mean

But some of the ‘short kings’ are celebrating

Jokes about men’s height aren’t new, but they’re getting old. If you know it’s wrong to comment on women’s appearances, the same grace should be applied to men.

Men are more than just their height, but unfortunately, people do take the height of men into consideration.

A study conducted by the researchers at the University of St Andrews in Scotland found a link between height and the perception of masculinity. Whilst another 2005 study stated that men who said they were 6’3” or 6’4” got about 60% more messages on dating sites than men who were 5’7” or 5’8.

But the tide is slowly changing for short men. The term ‘short king’ increased during awards season when celebrity couples like Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas and Spider-Man’s Tom Holland and Zendaya took to the red carpet. Though both women are taller than their partners, they clearly couldn’t care less about height.

So the next time you want to critique Rishi Sunak, make sure it’s about his policies, not his height.

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Rishi Sunak Blasted For Skipping Cop27 Climate Summit After Environmental Snubs

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Rishi Sunak’s climate credentials have come under question after backing out of attending the Cop27 climate summit days after giving the environment a smaller billing in his government.

The new prime minister has been accused of a “massive failure of leadership” after it was confirmed he will skip the United Nations conference in Egypt next month.

Liz Truss was set to attend the high-profile event in Sharm El-Sheikh but Downing Street said on Thursday that Sunak would instead focus on “pressing domestic commitments”.

No 10 also confirmed the demotion of the position of environment minister as Graham Stuart was reappointed to the role but stripped of his entitlement to attend cabinet.

Cop26 president Alok Sharma also lost his seat around Sunak’s cabinet this week.

Downing Street insisted the PM remains “absolutely committed” to supporting the climate conference hosted in Glasgow last year, denying he was downgrading the importance of tackling the climate crisis.

Last year when Sunak was chancellor, he arrived at the summit bearing a green version of the traditionally red budget briefcase wielded by the finance minister.

Labour’s shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “This is a massive failure of climate leadership. We were the Cop26 hosts and now the UK prime minister isn’t even bothering to turn up to Cop27.

“What Rishi Sunak obviously fails to understand is that tackling the climate crisis isn’t just about our reputation and standing abroad, but the opportunities for lower bills, jobs, and energy security it can deliver at home.”

Green MP Caroline Lucas said “shame on” Sunak, adding: “The first test of leadership is to turn up. The new PM’s decision not to attend Cop27 makes a mockery of any government claims on continued climate leadership – and what a shameful way to end the UK’s Cop presidency.”

Rebecca Newsom, the head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said the move suggests Sunak does not take climate change “seriously enough”.

“The UK Government is supposed to hand over the Cop presidency to their Egyptian counterparts at next month’s summit. For Rishi Sunak not to show up is like a runner failing to turn up with the baton at a crucial stage of the relay,” she added.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sunak was focusing on domestic issues including preparations for the autumn budget, which has been delayed from Monday to November 17.

“The prime minister is not expected to attend Cop27 and this is due to other pressing domestic commitments including preparations for the autumn budget,” she told reporters.

She said the UK will be “fully represented” by Sharma and “other senior ministers”.

“We remain committed to net zero and to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change. The UK is forging ahead of many other countries on net zero,” she said.

“We will obviously continue to work closely with Egypt as the hosts of Cop27 and to make sure that all countries are making progress on the historic commitments they made at the Glasgow climate pact.”

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Wes Streeting Says He Is ‘Sick And Tired’ Of Being Asked If He Wants To Be Labour Leader

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Labour’s Wes Streeting has said he is “sick and tired” of being asked whether he wants to succeed Keir Starmer as the party’s next leader.

The shadow health secretary, a rising star within Labour, has long been tipped as a potential future leader.

But dismissing the speculation, Streeting said he would be “too old” to take on the job by the time Starmer had finished being prime minister if Labour wins the next election.

Speaking to reporters at a lunch in Westminster, Streeting said: “I really thought that when we got to a point where we were 30 points ahead in the polls these questions would just stop.

“I’m sick and tired of them. I’ll be far too old by the time Keir is finishing being prime minister. They’ll be looking to new fresh faces and a new generation.

“I already have a leadership role with the Labour Party — I have a big job to do, a serious job to do.

“And if I look back on my career in politics, as the secretary of state of health and social care, who gripped the worst crisis in the history of the NHS, and put it on a footing that makes it fit for the future so people look back on that in the way people that back on Bevan, I will have more than achieved my ambitions in politics and be very happy with the career I’ve had.”

Streeting was speaking as Labour continues to enjoy a near 30-point lead in the polls following the chaos sparked by the mini budget and Liz Truss’s downfall as prime minister.

However, the election of Rishi Sunak as party leader has given the Conservatives a small bounce in the polls, with support for the Tories up for points to 23%, while Labour has dropped five points to 51%.

There are some fears within Labour that Sunak’s serious approach to fixing the economy could persuade voters to stick with the party.

But the shadow health secretary said Sunak was “one of many Conservative chancellors that have saddled our country with more than a decade of failed economic policies”.

He painted a stark contrast between the Tories and Labour, saying that while his party had “changed substantially at every level”, the Tories had made some “very questionable choices in leadership elections”.

“In the Labour Party, the cranks have been kicked out or have left. In the Conservative Party, the cranks are sat around the Cabinet table,” he said.

And in a swipe at Sunak’s controversial decision to reappoint Suella Braverman as home secretary just days after she was sacked by Truss for a serious security breach, Streeting said: “He [Starmer] seeks unity, but unlike Rishi Sunak he prizes unity with and for the interests of the country, above appeasing factions within his own party.”

Streeting welcomed the fact that Sunak is the UK’s first Asian prime minister, calling it a “cause for celebration”, but said Labour was “ready to take him on”.

Sunak cannot tackle the cost of living crisis “because he has fuelled the cost of living crisis,” Streeting went on.

“I don’t care that Rishi Sunak was privately educated, or that he’s hugely wealthy.

“I do care that he’s dangerously out of touch, making decisions about people whose lives he has never lived and whose lives he will never understand — decisions that are making them poorer, not richer.

“Ideological dogma may have crashed the economy with the mini budget, but more than a decade of failed Conservative economic policies have left working people paying the price.”

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Sacked Tory Chairman Accuses Braverman Of ‘Multiple’ Breaches Of Ministerial Code

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Former Tory chairman Jake Berry has alleged Suella Braverman made “multiple breaches of the ministerial code” when she was sacked as home secretary, before being dramatically re-installed by Rishi Sunak less than a week later.

Braverman admitted to a “technical infringement” of the rules as she was forced out prior to the downfall of Liz Truss, making her then the shortest-serving home secretary in history.

But Berry, who was sacked by the new prime minister on Tuesday, told Talk TV that there had been “multiple breaches” of the code, which sets out how members of the government must behave – or face punishment.

He said: “From my own knowledge, there were multiple breaches of the ministerial code.”

On Wednesday, Sunak told MPs that Braverman’s behaviour was just “an error of judgment”. Berry’s comments will raise questions over Sunak’s claims that his premiership would lead to “stability and unity”.

Braverman left her role in Truss’s cabinet after she was caught sending veteran backbench Tory John Hayes, a fellow right-winger, an official document from a personal email account.

She accidentally copied in someone she believed was Hayes’s wife, but was in fact an aide to Conservative MP Andrew Percy, who raised the alarm.

Braverman argued it was merely a draft written ministerial statement on immigration which had been due for publication imminently.

Allies said she sent it after going on a 4am immigration raid before coming clean about her “mistake”.

But officials said the file was sent much later and that the cabinet papers had first been forwarded from her ministerial account to a private Gmail account before going elsewhere.

Berry told TalkTV: “It was sent from a private email address to another member of parliament. She then sought to copy in that individual’s wife and accidentally sent it to a staffer in parliament.

“To me that seems a really serious breach, especially when it was documents relating to cybersecurity, as I believe.

“That seems a really serious breach. The cabinet secretary had his say at the time. I doubt he’s changed his mind in the last six days, but that’s a matter for the new prime minister.”

Braverman said she “rapidly reported” her “mistake” through official channels, and informed cabinet secretary Simon Case, as soon as she realised it.

But Berry said: “As I understand it, the evidence was put to her and she accepted the evidence, rather than the other way round.”

Labour has demanded that Case, who is reportedly “livid” over her swift return and “very concerned” about the breach, launch an investigation “into the extent of this and other possible security breaches”.

Keir Starmer has accused Sunak of doing a “grubby deal” to reappoint Braverman as home secretary.

During the brief leadership contest Braverman swung behind Sunak in what was seen as a blow to Boris Johnson’s hopes of staging a comeback to No.10

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5 Biggest Moments From The Day As The UK Gets Its Third PM In Less Than Two Months

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History was made on several accounts on Tuesday, with both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak breaking records – albeit for very different things.

As the prime minister with the shortest time in office officially left Downing Street while the first British Asian PM took her place, this was a momentous day in politics.

On top of that, there was a dramatic reshuffle, as Sunak seeks to separate himself from the premierships of the last two prime ministers.

Here’s everything you need to know about the day.

1. Liz Truss says farewell

The prime minister with the shortest tenure in UK history said goodbye to Downing Street at 10.15am.

She urged her successor to be “bold” and stick to her tax-cutting agenda, despite the economic chaos it caused and the widespread criticism it evoked.

She offered no apology in her speech and urged Sunak to focus on “growth” by cutting taxes and reducing public spending, maintaining: “I am more convinced than ever we need to be bold and confront the challenges that we face.”

Truss said: “We simply cannot afford to be a low growth country where the government takes up an increasing share of our national wealth and where there are huge divides between different parts of our country.

“We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently.”

She also tried to champion her policies which the government did not U-turn on, such as assistance with energy bills, and reversing the National Insurance increase.

Liz Truss making her farewell speech on Tuesday morning
Liz Truss making her farewell speech on Tuesday morning

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

2. Sunak meets the King

Shortly after Truss met with the King to resign, her successor filed into Buckingham Palace so he could officially be confirmed as the next prime minister.

This was a historic moment, marking the beginning of the first UK premiership led by a Hindu and British Asian. It’s also only the second time a prime minister from an ethnic minority has taken the country’s reins, too.

At 42, Sunak is also the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years.

King Charles III meeting Sunak in Buckingham Palace
King Charles III meeting Sunak in Buckingham Palace

AARON CHOWN via Getty Images

3. Sunak’s welcome speech

Sunak started his premiership with a bang, by immediately addressing the “mistakes” of his predecessor in a speech before midday.

He said: “Some mistakes were made – not born of ill will, or bad intentions. But mistakes nonetheless.

“And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister in part to fix them.

“And that work begins immediately.”

Sunak also used the opportunity to address former prime minister Boris Johnson’s claim that he was “uniquely” positioned to lead the Tories – despite withdrawing from the race.

The new prime minister said while he was “grateful” to Johnson for his “incredible achievements”, “the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual”.

He suggested that he would continue to work on the goals the Tories set out when they won the general election almost three years ago.

4. An exodus of ministers

Business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg led a wave of resignations from the cabinet. A prominent ally to both Johnson and Truss, he has not spoken favourably of Sunak in the past, declaring him a “socialist” during the Tory leadership election in the summer.

Chair of the Conservative Party Jake Berry, levelling up secretary Simon Clarke, justice secretary Brandon Lewis, education secretary Kit Malthouse and work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith all followed him out the door.

Robert Buckland also stood down as Welsh secretary as did Wendy Morton, the chief whip during Truss’s time in office, environment secretary Ranil Jayawardena and the minister for development Vicky Ford.

Alok Sharma was removed from the cabinet too, but remains as Cop26 president, meaning he will negotiate on the UK’s behalf at Cop27, but won’t attend cabinet or be known as a minister.

Robert Buckland, Wendy Morton and Jacob Rees-Mogg all left cabinet on Tuesday
Robert Buckland, Wendy Morton and Jacob Rees-Mogg all left cabinet on Tuesday

5. A new cabinet emerges

Sunak is under pressure to unite the fractured Conservative Party through his leadership by appointing MPs from all its factions to government positions.

Jeremy Hunt, who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor after the mini-budget imploded, is remaining at the top of the Treasury.

Sunak’s loyal ally, former deputy PM and former justice secretary Dominic Raab was rewarded, and handed his old two titles again.

Michael Gove returns to cabinet as levelling up secretary, just two months after he said he was quitting frontline politics.

A few more old faces returned to cabinet amid the reshuffle.

Former Welsh secretary Simon Hart has become the new chief whip while James Cleverly is keeping his job as the foreign secretary and Ben Wallace is staying as defence secretary.

Suella Braverman, who resigned as home secretary a week ago over breaching security rules, returns to that same job.

Oliver Dowden has been appointed as the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, while Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed Conservative Party chair.

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Michael Gove Returns As Levelling Up Secretary In Rishi Sunak’s New Cabinet

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Michael Gove has been appointed levelling up secretary by Rishi Sunak, as the new prime minister assembled his cabinet.

It marks a quick return to office for Gove, who claimed he was quitting frontline politics in August.

Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary, said: “Congratulations.

“The job has got a whole lot harder. But hey, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”

Dominic Raab has been made deputy prime minister and justice secretary, while Jeremy Hunt stays on as chancellor.

James Cleverly, a close ally of Boris Johnson, will remain as foreign secretary. Ben Wallace, who also was close to the former PM, stays as defence secretary.

Suella Braverman returns as home secretary, less than a week after resigning from that job after admitting breaching security rules.

Penny Mordaunt came out of the reshuffle as Commons Leader, failing to win a promotion after she challenged Sunak in the Tory leadership race, which he won without a vote being cast.

Simon Hart, a former Welsh secretary, has been appointed chief whip. He will be in charge of enforcing discipline in a party that has been consumed by infighting.

Other allies of Sunak benefited, with Mel Stride appointed work and pensions secretary and Oliver Dowden becoming chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster having resigned as party chairman after a disastrous double by-election loss under Johnson.

Therese Coffey, one of Truss’s closest friends in Westminster, was demoted from deputy PM and health secretary to become environment secretary.

But several other allies of the two former prime ministers have left cabinet, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke and Wendy Morton.

Sunak took over as prime minister on Tuesday morning with a promise to “fix” the “mistakes” made by Liz Truss.

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Suella Braverman Reappointed Home Secretary Days After Quitting Over Security Breach

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Suella Braverman has been reappointed home secretary by Rishi Sunak, less than a week after she resigned for breaching security rules.

Last Wednesday, Braverman quit as Liz Truss’ home secretary after admitting sending an official government document using her personal email.

When she stepped down, Braverman said “the business of government relied upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes”.

Over the weekend she delivered a huge boost to Sunak’s leadership campaign by throwing her weight behind his bid.

Braverman is one of the leading Brexiteers on the right of the party who ran for the leadership herself when Boris Johnson was ousted.

She now returns to the Home Office as Sunak moved to assemble his top team.

In his speech in Downing Street shortly after being appointed PM, Sunak said he would lead a government of “integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level”.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “At noon Rishi Sunak promised ‘integrity, professionalism & accountability’.

“At 5pm he made Suella Braverman home secretary, one week after she resigned for ministerial code breach/security lapse.

“He put party before country. Security is too important for this irresponsible Tory chaos.”

Braverman has previously taken a hardline on immigration and said it was her “dream” and “obsession” to see a flight take asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Sunak has also appointed Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister and kept Jeremy Hunt as chancellor. Michael Gove has returned as levelling up secretary.

The new prime minister said he wanted to fix the “mistakes” made by Truss during her short time in office.

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Rishi Sunak Will Take Over As Prime Minister On Tuesday Morning, Says No.10

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Rishi Sunak will take over from Liz Truss as prime minister on Tuesday morning, Downing Street has said.

Truss will chair her final cabinet meeting at 9am and deliver a speech outside No.10 at 10.15am.

She will then travel to Buckingham Palace to meet the King and formally resign.

Sunak will then make his way to the Palace where he will meet the King and be appointed PM.

He is due to then make a statement on the steps of No.10 at 11.35am.

The former chancellor won the keys to Downing Street after Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the support from Tory MPs needed to make it onto the ballot.

Sunak told his party on Monday it must “unite or die” in the face of a “profound economic challenge”.

It marks a dramatic comeback for Sunak, who lost out to Truss in the previous contest.

Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP has demanded the incoming prime minister hold a general election to secure a mandate to govern.

But Sunak told a meeting of Tory MPs behind closed doors in Westminster he would not go to the country early.

The Tory party’s poll ratings have tanked since Truss’ mini-Budget caused market chaos.

At 42, Sunak will be the youngest UK prime minister in over 200 years. He will also be the first Hindu PM.

To make it onto the ballot, Tory leadership candidates had to win the formal support of 100 MPs.

A Mordaunt campaign source said she fell just short, securing the backing of 90 MPs.

Boris Johnson, who stood down as prime minister just last month, toyed with a comeback but dramatically decided not to formally enter the contest on Sunday.

His campaign claimed 102 MPs were willing to nominate the former PM.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak as prime minister without him saying a single word about how he would run the country and without anyone having the chance to vote.”

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said the Conservatives had “installed another out-of-touch” prime minister, adding: “The only way to end the chaos is a general election now.”

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Nadhim Zahawi Mocked For Backing Boris Johnson And Rishi Sunak In The Same Half Hour

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A Tory minister has been mocked for publicly declaring his support for Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership bid and then switching to his arch-rival Rishi Sunak less than half an hour later.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the UK should “get ready for Boris 2.0” in an article published by the Daily Telegraph at 9pm.

But just two minutes earlier, Johnson had issued a statement saying he had decided to pull out of the race.

Nadhim Zahawi's article backing Boris Johnson was published at 9pm
Nadhim Zahawi’s article backing Boris Johnson was published at 9pm

Daily Telegraph

In a remarkable about-turn, Zahawi – who urged Johnson to resign as prime minister in July – then posted a tweet at 9.29pm announcing that he had switched his support to Sunak.

Unsurprisingly, Zahawi was slammed on Twitter for his latest embarrassing U-turn.

The Tory leadership contest is now a two-horse race between Sunak and Penny Mordaunt.

However, Sunak is the red hot favourite, having already secured more than 120 nominations, compared to Mordaunt’s 24.

The deadline for reaching the 100 MP threshold is 2pm tomorrow.

But a source close to Sunak said: “We are not taking anything for granted. Rishi will be continuing to talk to colleagues tomorrow morning before nomination papers go in, and discussing how best to unite the party and take the country forward.”

A Mordaunt campaign source said: “Penny is still running to be the leader of the Conservative Party.

“Penny is the unifying candidate who is most likely to keep the wings of the Conservative Party together and polling shows that she is the most likely candidate to hold onto the seats the Conservative Party gained in 2019.”

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