Key Points
- UK home secretary Suella Braverman has been sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and asked to leave government.
- It comes after Braverman was criticised for comments she made about police handling of a pro-Palestinian march.
- Braverman's sacking is part of a reshuffle that includes a shock return to politics by former PM David Cameron.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked controversial home secretary Suella Braverman, one of his most senior ministers after comments about the police's handling of a pro-Palestinian march.
Under fire from opposition MPs and members of his own governing Conservative Party to eject Braverman, Sunak moved against his home secretary as he reshuffled his top team.
She was replaced by foreign minister James Cleverly, who was seen walking up to Sunak's Downing Street office on Monday.
Following her dismissal, Braverman said "it has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as home secretary".
"I will have more to say in due course," she added.
David Cameron returning to government
In a surprise move, former UK prime minister David Cameron will return to government in the role of foreign secretary.
Cameron was Britain's leader from 2010 to 2016 before quitting after losing the Brexit referendum.
His unexpected return to the front line of British politics comes after he spent the last seven years writing his memoirs and involving himself in business, including Greensill Capital, a finance firm which later collapsed.
Greensill's demise fuelled questions about the extent to which former leaders can use their status to influence government policy after Cameron repeatedly contacted senior ministers in 2020 to lobby for the firm.
Cameron has not been a member of the UK's government since 2016. Source: Getty / Carl Court
Cameron said he was glad to take on his new role because at a time of global change, "it has rarely been more important for this country to stand by our allies, strengthen our partnerships and make sure our voice is heard".
"Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Why has Suella Braverman been sacked?
Last week, Braverman defied Sunak in an unauthorised article accusing police of "double standards" at protests, suggesting they were tough on right-wing demonstrators, but easy on pro-Palestinian marchers.
The opposition Labour Party said that inflamed frictions between a pro-Palestinian demonstration and a far-right counter-protest on Saturday, when nearly 150 people were arrested
Braverman had previously described pro-Palestinian demonstrations as "hate marches".
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked his home secretary Suella Braverman on Monday, a government source said, as part of a wider reshuffle after she criticised the police's handling of a pro-Palestinian march. Source: AAP / Phil Noble/PA/Alamy
Who is Suella Braverman?
Braverman has served as home secretary since September 2022, appointed by both Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
On her website, her priorities are stated as ", common sense policing and keeping the British people safe".
She was previously Attorney General and has been a Member of Parliament representing Fareham since 2015.
-Additional reporting by Reuters
