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LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday fired Suella Braverman, his very prominent home secretary, following criticisms that she stoked tensions by saying police sympathized with pro-Palestinian protesters.
Braverman has been at the center of a political storm over the last week after she penned an article for the Times of London, which was not approved by Downing Street, accusing the police of double standards and characterized pro-Palestinian protests as “hate marches.”
Her intervention was highly unusual — as the home secretary, Braverman was in charge of overseeing Britain’s largest police force, as well as national security, immigration and law enforcement.
Braverman, who hails from the right wing of the Conservative Party, is no stranger to controversy, and has made headlines for calling homelessness a “lifestyle choice,” and for her enthusiastic backing of plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
She has taken positions that make her stand out from this government’s ministers, with rhetoric and policies that appeal to some of the Conservative base while inflaming debate elsewhere.
This is not even the first time she has resigned as home secretary. She served in the role for 43 days under the former prime minister Liz Truss, but resigned after she sent an official document from her personal email.
Over the weekend, far-right protesters clashed with police, prompting critics to say that her comments had inflamed tensions.
Commentators have speculated whether Braverman could benefit from leaving the top leadership team and distancing herself from Sunak’s government ahead of what is expected to be a disastrous election and then set herself up for a possible future run for the leadership of the Conservative Party.