Braverman 'was in denial' over resignation despite claiming to have reported breach as soon as she realised her mistake
28 October 2022, 20:54 | Updated: 28 October 2022, 20:59
Suella Braverman was "in denial" and "amazed" at being forced to resign as Home Secretary after she committed a security breach, according to reports - despite claiming to have owned up to her mistake.
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Ms Braverman, who was reappointed Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak this week, just six days after leaving the position under former Prime Minister Liz Truss, tried to play down the security breach at first, the BBC has reported.
Mr Sunak, who promised professionalism and integrity under his premiership, is now facing questions about why he reappointed Ms Braverman from his own party, as well as Labour.
Mr Sunak has defended his decision to give Ms Braverman her job back, saying that she "made an error of judgment, but she recognised that, she raised the matter and she accepted her mistake".
Suella Braverman is 'far from out of the woods'.
Ms Braverman resigned after sending a draft ministerial statement on immigration from her personal email address to a parliamentary ally, the Conservative MP Sir John Hayes.
She meant to copy in Sir John's wife but instead allegedly sent the document to an aide of a third MP, John Percy, the BBC reported. Mr Percy raised the issue with the chief whip, who then told No.10 and the Cabinet office about the breach.
One source told the BBC that "initially [Ms Braverman] was in a state of denial" when Ms Truss later told her that she would have to resign.
"She was saying it was a minor thing," the person said.
Rishi Sunak defends reappointing Suella Braverman
Another person familiar with the matter said that Ms Braverman was "amazed" that she was being told to step down.
A source close to Ms Braverman has denied this account, saying that the Home Secretary communicated the breach "proactively" in the "official channels".
Ms Braverman has also received a backlash from civil servants after returning to her role six days after being forced to resign.
The First Division Association (FDA), which represents senior civil servants, said the move showed "political expediency" when any civil servant acting in the same way would have lost their security clearance.
They said the "clear signal" was that ministers could act with impunity and called for a new ethics adviser.
Dave Penman, FDA general secretary, said: "This would prevent conflicts of interest and deter the political expediency the Prime Minister has shown by reappointing the Home Secretary less than a week after allegedly acting in a way that any civil servants would rightly be expected to face the harshest of penalties for, including losing their security clearance."
Meanwhile the Cabinet Office’s Propriety and Ethics Team (PET) raised concerns about Mr Sunak's proposed appointments on Tuesday, including Ms Braverman’s, it is understood.
But the group does not have the power to block them going ahead.
Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, is believed to have then set out to the Prime Minister why Ms Braverman was judged to have breached the code but made no recommendation.
Labour's shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper wrote to Mr Case, saying an investigation was vital to establish the "extent of this and other possible security breaches".
She raised speculation during an urgent question that Ms Braverman was previously investigated for a leak of information "relating to the security service" when she was attorney-general.
It related to a story about the Government's plan to apply for an injunction against the BBC to stop it from identifying a spy who was accused of using his position to terrorise his former partner, according to the Daily Mail.
A Cabinet Office spokesman told the paper: "We do not comment on alleged leak investigations."
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer also quizzed Mr Sunak on Ms Braverman's reappointment during Prime Minister's Questions this week.
He asked whether she was "right" to initially leave the role because of a "deliberate" breach of security.
Mr Sunak said Ms Braverman had "made an error of judgement" but said she "recognised that".
"She raised the matter and she accepted her mistake," he said.
"And that's why I was delighted to welcome her back."Sir Keir dug deeper, saying Mr Sunak had promised to bring "integrity, professionalism and accountability" to government as the new PM.
"So, have officials raised concerns about his decision to appoint her?" he asked. Mr Sunak said he had "just addressed the issue of the Home Secretary" and said she was focused on fighting crime.
But Sir Keir accused him of doing "a grubby deal, trading national security because he was scared to lose another leadership election".
He said: "It really matters. I've been the director of public prosecutions, I know how important it is for the Home Secretary to be trusted, because others have to share documents with her," he said during a visit to Thurrock in Essex.
"To be sacked last week for breach of security and now be put back in place as the Home Secretary is an act of weakness from the Prime Minister.
"He should sack her - that will be the strong thing to do. That's what I would do if I was prime minister."
Some Conservatives have also broken rank to publicly air their concerns, with Caroline Nokes backing opposition calls for an inquiry and former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry describing the breach as "really serious".
Mark Pritchard, who used to sit on Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, said a "breakdown" in trust between MI5 and Ms Braverman must be "sorted ASAP".
On Friday, Mr Sunak said: "I am confident that our party is united."
