An excoriating letter from Suella Braverman, the home secretary fired in dramatic fashion Monday, underscored the fury facing British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among right-wing Tories hours before the Supreme Court rules on whether the government can legally deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
Braverman accused Sunak of betraying the public and breaking a promise he made to her to clamp down on immigration, in a missive likely to rank as one of the most scathing ever sent by an outgoing minister. It raises the stakes for the court ruling because if he loses, Sunak will struggle to show he can deliver on a pledge that matters most to the rebellious right of his Conservative Party: stopping the arrival of asylum-seekers on small boats from France.
¡°Uncertain, weak, and lacking in the qualities of leadership that this country needs,¡± was how Braverman summarized Sunak¡¯s performance as prime minister. In a clear warning ahead of the court¡¯s verdict on Wednesday, she accused Sunak of reneging on a ¡°deal¡± they struck as she supported his unlikely bid for the Tory leadership just over a year ago, to bypass the European Convention of Human Rights in the government¡¯s approach to tackling immigration.
¡°Your rejection of this path was 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 said, adding there¡¯s no ¡°credible Plan B¡± if Sunak loses.
The stream of invective suggests Braverman is intent on scorching the earth for Sunak¡¯s administration ahead of a general election likely next year. Her backing had paved the way for Sunak to enter Downing Street in the most remarkable fashion, weeks after he¡¯d lost a leadership contest to Liz Truss. But in words that cut to the heart of his struggles in office, she said those circumstances meant he had ¡°no personal mandate to be prime minister.¡±
In response, a spokesman for Sunak said the prime minister ¡°was proud to appoint a strong, united team¡± in Monday¡¯s Cabinet reshuffle.
The issue is especially sensitive after Sunak¡¯s shock appointment of David Cameron ¡ª who is despised among Brexiteers for having backed Remain in the 2016 referendum on Brexit ¡ª as foreign secretary, which means right-wing Tories are spoiling for a fight over the direction of the party.
According to people familiar with the matter, Braverman still holds a document drawn up with Sunak outlining the terms of their deal last year, which an ally said she could publish and make further accusations in the coming days.
¡°The Conservative Party now looks like it is deliberately walking away from the coalition of voters who brought us into power...
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