Halloween fiscal statement may be delayed as Suella Braverman’s return defended
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly argued the reappointed Home Secretary had apologised for a breach of the rules.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rishi Sunak may delay the highly-anticipated financial statement due on Halloween, a Cabinet minister has suggested, as he defended Suella Braverman’s return as Home Secretary.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hinted on Wednesday that the new Prime Minister may put back the medium-term fiscal plan so he can ensure it “matches his priorities”.
Mr Cleverly argued that a “short delay” to the plan and independent forecasts that had been brought forward to calm the spooked financial markets would not be a “bad thing at all”.
The Foreign Secretary also sought to justify the criticised re-appointment of Ms Braverman to the role she was forced to quit from last week over a breach of the ministerial code.
He argued that she has now apologised for a “mistake” after sharing an official document and denied her re-appointment was part of a deal to buy Mr Sunak her support for the Tory leadership.
Mr Sunak will take his first Prime Minister’s Questions at midday on Wednesday, facing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
First Mr Sunak will gather his Cabinet for a meeting, a day after dumping nearly a dozen of Liz Truss’s top-tier ministers and reviving the careers of multiple ousted frontbenchers on his first day in office.
As expected, Jeremy Hunt was safe in the role of Chancellor as he prepares to set out the Government’s medium-term fiscal plan alongside Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.
He (Sunak) will want some time with his Chancellor to make sure that the fiscal statement matches his priorities
Last prime minister Liz Truss was forced to U-turn and bring that plan forward to October 31 as she sought to calm the markets spooked by her disastrous mini-budget.
But, with traders appearing calmed by Mr Sunak’s victory, Mr Cleverly suggested it could be put back so the new Prime Minister can examine the details.
Mr Cleverly said the date was set with “no expectation of a change of prime minister” as he laid the ground for it potentially being put back.
He told BBC Breakfast: “He will want some time with his Chancellor to make sure that the fiscal statement matches his priorities.
“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor know they need to work quickly on this but they also want to get it right, so we’ll see what happens to that date.”
Mr Cleverly argued that “a short delay, in order to make sure that we get this right, I think that is not necessarily a bad thing at all”.
Experienced figures including Dominic Raab and Michael Gove were brought back into the Cabinet having been sacked by Ms Truss and Boris Johnson during their leaderships.
But Mr Sunak re-appointing Ms Braverman six days after she was sacked for breaching the ministerial code raised questions over his pledge to govern with “integrity”.
The controversial Cabinet minister was shown the door for the unauthorised sharing of an official document to Tory backbencher Sir John Hayes from a personal email.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a Cabinet Office inquiry, saying she must be sacked if she repeatedly broke the rules and “threatened national security”.
Mr Cleverly said the Home Secretary, who spent six weeks in the role before being sacked by Ms Truss, has apologised for the “mistake”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The Prime Minister has taken her apology and he has decided that what he wants is an experienced Home Secretary that has got recent – very, very recent – experience at the Home Office.”