The crisis for UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has deepened with the loss of her second cabinet minister who resigned while heaping criticism on the government’s direction and “broken promises”.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she stepped down for breaching ministerial standards by sending a sensitive document from a private email address.
But in a parting shot, Ms Braverman lobbed a grenade by releasing her resignation letter in which she tells the prime minister that politicians should own their mistakes.
In a thinly veiled attack, Ms Braverman wrote that “the business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes”.
“Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics,” she wrote.
“I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.”
Ms Braverman’s letter stated it was “obvious to everyone that we are going through a tumultuous time”.
“I have concerns about the direction of this government,” she wrote.
“Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I have had serious concerns about this government’s commitment to honoring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings.”
Tweet from @SuellaBraverman
Ms Braverman’s departure over a “technical” breach just seven weeks into the job means Ms Truss has now lost two of her most senior cabinet ministers in less than a week.
The prime minister sacked her finance minister after only weeks in office and dumped the unpopular economic policies that had helped her win the Conservative Party leadership.
Hours before Ms Braverman’s departure, Ms Truss attempted to reset her premiership.
Asked by the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, why she should remain in power, she said: “I am a fighter and not a quitter.”
But just hours later, reports swirled that her home secretary had gone, raising concerns that Ms Braverman was leaving office in protest at Ms Truss.
Ms Braverman later said she had sent an official document from her personal email to a parliamentary colleague, adding that this marked “a technical infringement of the rules” and that it was therefore “right for me to go”.
Grant Shapps, who was Transport Minister under Boris Johnson, was named as the new home secretary.
He did not make mention of Ms Truss in his first address to media, telling reporters: “Jeremy Hunt has done a great job settling issues in relation to that mini-budget.”
Earlier, Ms Truss faced a raucous prime minister’s questions session in parliament for the first time since new finance minister Mr Hunt scrapped most of her tax-cutting plan.
“I have been very clear that I am sorry, and I have made mistakes,” Ms Truss told jeering opposition lawmakers in parliament.
“I am somebody who’s prepared to front up. I’m prepared to take the tough decisions.”
The prime minister was met with laughter, boos and jeers, especially when she told the opposition Labour Party it needed to grasp economic reality.
Conservative lawmaker William Wragg said he had submitted a letter of no confidence in the prime minister, joining a handful of others who have called for her to go. Wragg said he was “ashamed” of facing voters after the so-called mini-budget.
Ms Truss also faces a potential challenge later on Wednesday, when lawmakers vote on a motion brought by the main opposition party to overturn her pledge to reintroduce fracking — a vote being treated as test of confidence in the government.
-with AAP
