Opposition parties had accused Braverman of emboldening far-right groups with her comments about pro-Palestinian protests.
ADVERTISEMENTUK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been sacked, according to British media reports, days after she was accused of inflaming tensions with her comments about pro-Palestinian marches in London.
In an op-ed published in The Times on Thursday, Braverman suggested police had been more lenient with recent protests against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which she described as “hate marches,” than with right-wing protesters or football hooligans.
The article had not been given the green light by Downing Street, contrary to the usual protocol.
Opposition parties accused Braverman, a divisive figure popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party, of emboldening far-right groups with her comments.
Her comments were also seen as undermining the operational independence of the country’s police.
This is not the first time that the 43-year-old has courted controversy.
As home secretary, Braverman championed the government’s stalled plan to send asylum-seekers who arrive in Britain by boat to Rwanda. She previously described refugee arrivals as an “invasion” and warned of a migratory “hurricane”. More recently, she claimed that homelessness was a “lifestyle choice”.
Downing Street says Braverman left her job as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, a move that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had originally planned for the end of the year. Analysts say he brought it forward after the crisis provoked by Braverman.
Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has been appointed Braverman’s replacement, according to UK media reports.