Tag Archives: Suella Braverman

Suella Braverman Makes 20-Mile Journey To Controversial Migrant Centre In A Military Helicopter

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Questions have been raised over the home secretary’s use of a military helicopter to tour chaotic immigration centres on England’s southern coast.

Suella Braverman arrived at the Manston migrant holding centre near Ramsgate on Thursday in a Chinook helicopter, having earlier visited Dover to view the Western Jet Foil immigration facility and meet the Coastguard.

The distance between Dover and Manston is about 20 miles by road and could take around 40 minutes to drive.

According to defence analysts writing for the UK Defence Journal, a Chinook costs about £3,500 per hour to fly.

The helicopter’s maximum speed is 302km per hour (about 187mph), according to its manufacturer, Boeing.

After landing, Braverman and her entourage were transferred from the helicopter to a black BMW with tinted windows.

The minister has faced widespread condemnation in recent days for characterising the influx of migrants as an “invasion”.

The Home Office explained the minster took the helicopter to get a birds-eye view of efforts to tackle people smuggling in the English Channel.

It is understood the flight left the Coastguard HQ at around 1.25pm and arrived back to shore just after 2pm.

Braverman is under mounting political pressure over the illegal conditions at the Manston site, where at one point as many as 4,000 people were being detained for weeks in a site intended to hold 1,600 for a matter of days. The number has since reduced to 2,700, after more than 1,000 were moved in the last few days.

A Home Office spokesperson, said: “As part of the home secretary’s efforts to tackle vile people smuggling in the Channel, the home secretary was briefed by clandestine Channel threat commander, Dan O’Mahoney in Dover.

“The home secretary then travelled in a military aircraft with Mr O’Mahoney to get a view of operations in the Channel first hand.”

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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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Suella Braverman Admits ‘Illegal Immigration Is Out Of Control’ After 12 Years Of Tory Rule

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Suella Braverman has characterised the UK’s migration system as “broken” as she claimed “illegal immigration is out of control”.

The home secretary, facing questions in the Commons over the chaos at the Manston migrant holding centre in Kent, was reminded by a Labour MP that the Conservative Party had been in power for 12 years.

Braverman also claimed the southern coast of England is facing an “invasion” of migrants – a day after a holding centre in Dover was petrol bombed.

The home secretary’s fiery rhetoric came during a defiant address where she claimed to speak for the “patriotic majority of British people” who want safe and secure borders.

During questions, Braverman even audaciously accused a Labour MP of using “inflammatory language”.

It comes as the Channel crossing crisis deepened, amid growing concern over the conditions in which migrants are being held while waiting to be processed once they arrive in the UK, and after one of the sites in Dover was firebombed.

In the Commons, Braverman opted to go on the attack and make the issue party political as she accused the Labour Party of playing “political parlour games”.

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.”

In another defiant comment, Braverman said “there are some people who would prefer to be rid of me”.

Braverman was heckled by Labour MPs, before adding: “Let them try. I know that I speak for the decent, law-abiding, patriotic majority of British people from every background that wants safe and secure borders.

“Labour is running scared that this party might just deliver them.”

Labour MP Zarah Sultana was among the first to condemn language that’s “whips-up hate and spreads division”. “She’s totally unfit to be home secretary,” she added.

So far this year close to 40,000 people have made the treacherous journey from France, crossing the world’s busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats, provisional government figures show.

On Sunday, police said two or three incendiary devices were thrown at a migrant processing centre in Dover and caused a fire.

The suspect, a 66-year-old man from High Wycombe, was identified and found dead at a nearby petrol station, Kent Police said.

Two people inside the centre at Western Jet Foil were left with minor injuries.

Although the site remained open, 700 people were moved to Manston for safety reasons.

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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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Yvette Cooper Has The Perfect Response To Suella Braverman’s ‘Tofu-Eating Wokerati’ Rant

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Suella Braverman has faced ridicule from her opposite number after the home secretary sounded off about a “tofu-eating wokerati” and a “coalition of chaos”.

The cabinet minister renewed her attacks on opponents of the Tory party – a habit that has made her a darling of the right – during a Commons debate on the Public Order Bill.

It includes a new offence of obstructing major transport networks, interfering with key national infrastructure – such as railways, roads and printing presses – and new powers for police to stop and search people to seize items intended for so-called locking-on.

Lock-on tactics have been repeatedly employed by groups such as Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, and include protesters gluing or otherwise attaching themselves to roads or other areas to cause disruption.

Braverman went on the offensive in light of the Just Stop Oil protest that has seen the Dartford Crossing – the only way to cross the Thames east of London by road – blocked for the second day in a row.

She accused opposition parties of being a “coalition of chaos”, adding: “It’s the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-growth coalition that we have to thank for the disruption that we are seeing on our roads today.”

But Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper branded Braverman’s words “astonishing”, adding: “The home secretary actually talked about a coalition of chaos, we can see it in front of us as we speak.”

She continued that she understood government “concerns”.

Cooper said: “When they face issues when they’ve got a selfish minority wreaking havoc, you’ve got someone resisting all attempts to remove them, causing serious disruption, disorder, chaos, with serious consequences for the public, for business, for politics and for financial markets.

“But they’ve glued themselves under the desk. With honourable members opposite, we wish them luck with their attempts to extricate another failing Tory prime minister from Number 10.

“But I suggest it isn’t a reason to change the law for everyone else.”

Cooper was of course referring to Liz Truss and the turmoil caused by her mini-budget, which crashed the financial markets and saw the pound fall to an all-time low.

The backlash led to two major u-turns by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, before he was eventually sacked and replaced by Jeremy Hunt, who has since torched the low-tax, free-markeeter economic plan Truss staked her leadership bid on.

Truss now faces continued humiliation as a growing number of her MPs want the PM to quit, with one even comparing her premiership to a dumpster fire. She has vowed to fight on.

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Home Secretary Says She Will ‘Look At’ Pre-Charge Anonymity For Suspects

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The home secretary has revealed she plans to “look at” pre-charge anonymity for suspects.

Suella Braverman told a meeting at the Tory conference in Birmingham that the “media circus” can be “devastating” for those wrongly accused.

She made the comments in response to a question about innocent high profile people who had been named in the media pre-charge such as Cliff Richard.

Braverman told a panel held by the Young Conservatives: “On the issue of anonymity pre-charge, I am interested in looking at that.

“I think that we’ve had some high profile instances where the media circus around a suspect – who has not been charged – can be and has been devastating.

“The decision to arrest is a very important decision. The decision to bring charges has to be reached only after certain legal tests have been satisfied.

“Looking at the evidence and looking at the public interest – those are really important decisions in the criminal justice process.

“I think coverage of people prior to charge can be very, very damaging, particularly if the charges are not pursued or they’re dropped later on.

“I think we do have to look at this issue because I think that the police need to be allowed to carry out their investigations.

“The CPS need to be allowed to carry out their decision making without pressure from the media, but individuals and suspects do have a right to a fair trial and trial by media will only undermine our justice system.”

Sir Cliff has joined forces with DJ Paul Gambaccini as part of a campaign to “redress the balance” in the legal system by seeing those accused of sexual offences remain anonymous unless they are charged.

Both men were falsely accused of historical sex offences and joined forces with pressure group Falsely Accused Individuals for Reform (Fair) to campaign for changes to legislation.

Critics of granting anonymity pre-charge argue that identifying suspects early on can encourage more alleged victims to come forward and potentially help a conviction.

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Boris Johnson ‘Too Busy’ To Take Parental Leave But Aide Insists PM Is A ‘Feminist’

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Boris Johnson will be too busy to take paternity leave to look after his son Wilf – but the prime minister’s aides insist he is a feminist. 

The PM’s press secretary Allegra Stratton also said Johnson accepts his cabinet, overwhelmingly made up of men, does not represent “the public at large” and that he plans to promote women in future. 

Johnson had a child with his partner Carrie Symonds last April but Stratton said the PM has a “huge workload” and will not be taking leave. 

She told reporters on Monday, which marks International Women’s Day: “He is the prime minister and he works a very long day, he has a huge workload and I don’t think he will be taking paternity leave.”

Of the 26 senior ministers attending cabinet, just six are women, and last week Johnson replaced attorney general Suella Braverman, who is taking maternity leave, with Michael Ellis, a move equalities committee chair Caroline Nokes called “disappointing”.

Hinting at an impending reshuffle, Stratton said: “We know that there is improvement to come in the years ahead when he – who knows when this comes – when we have promotions to cabinet.

“He does accept that he would like to improve how representative his cabinet is of the population at large.”

Press Association

Prime minister Boris Johnson

Stratton said Johnson had described himself as “a feminist” during a meeting with female Tory MPs. 

She was pressed on numerous articles Johnson has written describing women in a derogatory way, including calling women “fickle”. 

One Spectator article saw Johnson describe the children of single mothers “ill-raised, ignorant, aggressive and illegitimate”.

Stratton said it was “not unreasonable” to ask questions about Johnson’s previous journalism but insisted “the PM is leading the charge” on changing workplaces for women. 

She also referenced more female Tory MPs being elected in December 2019 and said the only two female PMs the UK had had were Conservatives. 

“There is room for improvement and progress always on many fronts but actually the Conservatives’ record here is not bad,” she said. 

Johnson on Monday hosted a virtual roundtable with nine female business leaders. 

The PM’s official spokesperson said: “The prime minister has said on numerous occasions that the contribution that women make to the economy is crucial, which is why we provided an unprecedented offer of support to help those sectors they most likely to be employed in.” 

Stratton added that during the meeting, he was interested in hearing about more men taking paternity leave. 

She said: “Lastly but not least, he was interested to hear on what they had to say about whether enough dads take time off to look after their children.” 

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Boris Johnson Can Fudge His Brexit Bill, But He Can’t Fudge Covid’s Rise

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Government Cites Gina Miller Case To Defend Breaching Own Brexit Deal

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Anger As Grenfell Inquiry Corporate Witnesses Protected From Prosecution

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