THE UK Government has been accused of contradicting itself over the reasons for Suella Braverman’s resignation as home secretary.
Confusion abounded in the House of Commons on Thursday about the circumstances surrounding her departure when Labour MP Yvette Cooper demanded a statement from new Home Secretary Grant Shapps on the situation.
Shapps was nowhere to be seen in the chamber, but as Cabinet Office Secretary Brendan Clarke-Smith gave an explanation for Braverman quitting, Cooper accused him of contradicting what was said in her resignation letter.
Braverman said she was leaving because of a “mistake” relating to the sending of an official document from her personal email. She went on to say the document “was a draft written ministerial statement about migration, due for publication imminently”.
But in his initial statement, Clarke-Smith said “the information that was circulated was subject to cabinet confidentiality and under live discussion within the government”, leading Cooper to question his account of events.
Clarke-Smith said: “The Prime Minister has made clear the importance of maintaining high standards in public life and her expectation of ministers should uphold these standards is set out in the code.
“All ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in light of the code. However, ministers only remain in office so long as they retain the confidence of the Prime Minister.
“To be clear the information that was circulated was subject to cabinet confidentiality and under live discussion within the government.”
Shadow home secretary Cooper then said: “The former home secretary has circulated a letter which seems to contradict what the minister just said because she said it was a draft of a ministerial statement that was due to be published imminently and had already been briefed to MPs.
“Is that not true? Can he [Clarke-Smith] explain the answer to that?”
Clarke-Smith then went on to say the document in question contained draft government policy that remained “subject to cabinet committee agreement”, which Braverman had apparently shared outside of the government.
He said: “The document in question contained draft government policy which remained subject to cabinet committee agreement.
“Having this on a personal email account and then also sharing this outside of government constituted clear breaches of the code.
“The Prime Minister is clear that the security of government business is paramount, as is Cabinet responsibility, and ministers must be held to the highest standards.”
Shapps is now the third Home Secretary in just seven weeks with the Tory UK Government now living hour to hour as it struggles to hang on to power.
On Wednesday night there were reports of Tory MPs being manhandled to vote with the Government on lifting a fracking ban as many threatened to rebel.
