Inside Politics: New headache

Hello there, I’m Matt Mathers and welcome to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter.

Could Suella Braverman break her own record as the shortest serving home secretary, set only last week? She is coming under fresh fire this morning following an explosive interview by a Conservative MP last night.

Commons action gets underway at 11am with questions on public space protection orders, the Zimbabwean government’s detention of the country’s members of parliament and on COP27. The main business will be two long debates, the first on the 50th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda and the second on freedom of expression in the digital age.

Wednesday might have been Rishi Sunak’s big day with his first outing at PMQs. But Suella Braverman, the home secretary, attracted plenty of attention and generated a few headlines too, after her controversial return to the government days after resigning from Liz Truss’s administration for security breaches.

That theme continued last night when Jake Berry, who quit as Conservative Party chair on Tuesday as Sunak carried out his cabinet reshuffle, gave an explosive interview in which he claimed Braverman was involved in “multiple” breaches of the ministerial code. One of those, he said, was “really serious” and related to confidential government discussions of cybersecurity. Berry also contradicted claims by Sunak and others that Braverman had simply fessed up to her mistakes, telling Talk TV that “the evidence was put to her and she accepted the evidence, rather than the other way around”.

Keir Stamer used his first two questions at PMQs to tackle Sunak on his decision to bring Braverman back into the tent, a move which Labour claimed throughout the day was part of a “grubby deal” by the would-be PM to shore up support on the right of his party. Sunak defended the appointment, but those listening carefully to the exchanges will have noted that he did not answer questions on whether Braverman was right to resign, or if officials had raised concerns about the home secretary’s return. Jeremy Hunt, the new chancellor, took a lukewarm approach in the morning when asked by broadcasters about Braverman during an interview on his decision to delay the government’s 31 October fiscal statement. He defended Braverman’s appointment but declined to say if he trusted her.

The Braverman story looks like one that is going to run and continue causing headaches for Sunak. Cabinet Office official Jeremy Quin, sent out by the government to answer an urgent question tabled by Labour on the matter, avoided directly answering whether Braverman would be investigated, following calls from the opposition and the Lib Dems for a probe. He said it would “not be proper” for an independent adviser, if one was appointed by Sunak, to probe “events in the last administration”. There are fresh reports this morning in the Daily Mail saying Braverman was probed by government officials as part of an inquiry into the leak of a sensitive story involving MI5, Britain’s domestic counter-intelligence agency.

Although Sunak did not answer Starmer’s questions well, he did a good job of geeing up the troops on the back benches and there was plenty of noise during what was a boisterous session. Starmer also gave an assured performance and had the demeanour of someone who thought, ‘I’ve got his number’ and that confidence came through in both the delivery of his questions and jokes. Sunak’s attacks on crime and Jeremy Corbyn felt like barbs that belonged to a different era and Inside Politics is not sure either that it is wise for any Conservative to go on the attack on crime, given the party’s record over the past few years. During the exchanges, Sunak said he would reintroduce a ban on fracking (later confirmed by No 10), indicated that he wanted to raise benefits in line with inflation and suggested that he was still committed to levelling up.

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Labour has attacked another “disgraceful” delay to the Tory government’s Online Safety Bill after it was dropped from the Commons schedule.

On Wednesday a junior culture minister failed to deny the crucial legislation – aimed at regulating social media giants – had been pulled from the promised timetable following previous delays.

The Independent understands the bill has been delayed to give MPs time to consider new amendments set to be introduced by the Rishi Sunak government – but the plan is to bring it back within weeks.

A spokesperson said: “Protecting children and stamping out illegal activity online is a top priority for the government and we will bring the Online Safety Bill back to parliament as soon as possible.”

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt told MPs only last week it would return for its remaining third reading stages on 1 November.

See all of The Independent’s daily cartoons here

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Hunt offers lukewarm defence of Braverman and declines to say if he trusts her.

“She apologised for her mistakes. She’s been fully accountable for those mistakes, she stepped down as home secretary. But from the point of view of people at home, who want stability in the economy, they also need to see a united Conservative Party and that’s why the prime minister has put together a cabinet of all the talents.”

i chief politics commentator responds to Berry’s interview.

“Ouch.”

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