Suella Braverman – latest: Tory civil war over home secretary police row as Sunak urged to sack her

Suella Braverman was confronted by a shout of “Did you forget your resignation letter?” as she left her home in Hertfordshire earlier amid calls for her to be sacked for her comments accusing police of bias, Holly Patrick reports.

The Home Secretary wrote an article, which was not signed off by Downing Street as significant changes were requested, ahead of a march calling for a Gaza ceasefire on Armistice Day.

She accused officers of “playing favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters, who she said are “largely ignored” by police “even when clearly breaking the law.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has distanced himself from Ms Braverman’s comments.

Watch the clip here:

No 10 said the PM still had concerns about the actions of those who may splinter off from the main procession tomorrow, despite Rishi Sunak’s meeting with the Met Commissioner earlier this week, Kate Devlin reports.

“Given the arrests we have seen following previous protests and given the actions needed to be taken following previous protests, we do continue to share those concerns,” Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said.

Suella Braverman appears to be on a “personal mission” to “retoxify” the Conservative Party brand, a Tory peer has said.

Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, said the home secretary was making the job of the police harder.

He also warned Braverman was making it more difficult for Tory MPs to get reelected at the next general election, expected in the spring or summer of next year.

“She is personally on a mission, as far as I can see, to re-toxify the Conservative brand,” he told Times Radio.

And it’s not so much the issues that she talks about. If you take the example, before this latest article … about the demonstrations, when she talked about people living on the streets being a lifestyle choice.

“if you’re a Conservative, she’s not helping. And more importantly, for those of your listeners that aren’t Conservatives, she’s making the job of the police at this most difficult time, even harder.”

Listen to a clip of the interview here:

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No 10 is continuing to investigate how an op-ed by the home secretary accusing the police of bias and playing favourites over protests came to be published, Kate Devlin reports.

But Downing Street said Rishi Sunak still had full confidence in Suella Braverman. The phrase is often repeated by governments up until the moment a senior minister is sacked, however.

And No 10 would not say if the two had talked, despite emphasising that work was going on in government to ensure Remembrance weekend events pass off peacefully.

The new book by Nadine Dorries, Boris Johnson’s most devoted Cabinet ally, contains a series of extraordinary claims about his downfall.

Seen by many as part of a campaign to help Mr Johnson return to No 10, the book also includes scathing comments about many senior Conservatives.

Adam Forrest reports:

Britain’s top civil servant launched a savage attack on Matt Hancock during the pandemic, telling Boris Johnson to sack the “lying” health secretary to “save lives and protect the NHS”, the Covid inquiry heard on Wednesday.

Former cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill said he made the suggestion as a joke in a WhatsApp message to then-No10 permanent secretary Simon Case, confirming the exchange on Wednesday.

Archie Mitchell reports:

NatWest has stripped its former boss Dame Alison Rose of £7.6 million in payouts after she was forced to resign over the Nigel Farage debanking row.

The banking giant said she has not been considered a “good leaver” following her departure and will therefore not receive most of the discretionary parts of her pay package.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Much has been said and written about Braverman’s incendiary claim in a recent newspaper article that the police are biased in how they deal with protests.

The remarks are the latest in a string of inflammatory comments made by the home secretary, a darling of the Tory right who is tipped as a future leader of the party.

Was Braverman simply stating her true beliefs in the comment piece, which also provoked outrage in Northern Ireland, or was she trying to get sacked so that she could launch a leadership campaign, eventually taking over from Rishi Sunak, should he lose the next election and resign as party leader.

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Under fire home secretary Suella Braverman was spotted leaving her home earlier this morning as she faced calls to resign.

The home secretary, dressed in a shirt and jacket, was seen smiling as she left her home in Hertfordshire, having spent Thursday at hospital with a family member who needed treatment.

Braverman left at around 10.15 and did not speak to reporters as she left.