Suella Braverman was reappointed as Home Secretary, and Michael Gove supported the choice amid mounting criticism.
Despite the most recent allegations about Ms. Braverman’s behavior in government, the Cabinet minister said she is ‘definitely’ a politician with integrity.
A week after Ms. Braverman left Liz Truss’s administration for exchanging a private email containing a confidential document with a Tory backbencher, Mr. Sunak reinstated her.
This past weekend, new claims were made against her, including that she disregarded legal notices concerning an immigrant processing center in Kent and had faced an earlier investigation for the disclosure of information about a protocol policy for Northern Ireland.
The Home Secretary’s dismissal has been urged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who has accused Mr. Sunak of brokering a “grubby bargain selling security for support” in the Tory leadership race.
On Sunday, Mr. Gove told Ridge of Sky News that Suella is a top-tier politician.
She admitted that she had made a mistake. She is putting a lot of effort into making sure that law enforcement is more effective and that our borders can be made more safe.
She is an important member of the Cabinet, and I appreciate and like her.
When asked whether Ms. Braverman is an honest politician on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr. Gove said, “Absolutely.”
I am satisfied, more than satisfied, that Suella is now in a position to carry out the work that she is committed to carrying out after resigning, taking ownership of her actions, expressing regret, and receiving assurances from the Cabinet Secretary and the Prime Minister that returning to work was the right decision.
In spite of several Conservative MPs raising their voices in opposition to the nomination, Mr. Sunak has said that Ms. Braverman “learned from her error” and that he does not regret the appointment.
With a “humble address” resolution in Parliament this week, Labour will compel ministers to provide risk assessments of suspected leaks as well as the material provided to Mr. Sunak before to his reassignment of her to the Home Office.
Ms. Braverman has so far declined to address MPs and provide an account of what took place.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, stated: “Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman cannot keep evading these inquiries. It raises significant questions about the prime minister’s judgment since it is just too severe for that.
“People need to be confident that the Home Secretary can be trusted with their national security and very sensitive information.” Suella Braverman’s reappointment by Rishi Sunak was a very imprudent choice.
“Labour will use every available legislative tool to push the Government to answer questions about her reappointment, to get information, and to demand that specific papers be made available to the Intelligence & Security Committee.”
Sir Jake Berry, a former chairman of the Conservative Party, called the breach as “very severe,” and Caroline Nokes supported opposition demands for an investigation.
According to reports, Ms. Braverman, also known as “Leaky Sue,” was previously under investigation by government authorities as a result of the leak of a security services-related article.