Sunday, October 30, 2022
Controversy continues to chase Braverman
Having been reinstated as Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak. despite her previous breaches in security, and despite breaking the ministerial code, Suella Braverman just cannot keep out of the news.
The latest twist on this saga is reported by the BBC, who say that an email sent from Suella Braverman's personal account on the day she had to resign over a security breach could throw fresh doubt over her claims about the speed with which she took action:
In her defence, the home secretary said: "as soon as I realised my mistake, I rapidly reported this on official channels". She said she reported it to the cabinet secretary - the head of the civil service. But the BBC understands she sent the original email from her personal Gmail account to the wrong person, a member of parliamentary staff, at 7:52 BST on 19 October.
The document was a draft written ministerial statement related to immigration visas containing highly sensitive information about government policy.
At 8:30 the recipient sent her a message saying that it had been sent in error.
At 10:02 a message was then sent from the home secretary's personal Gmail account saying: "Please can you delete the message and ignore".
It is understood the chief whip at the time, Wendy Morton, was told what had happened around half an hour later by the office that had received the message in error. Ms Morton then urgently tried to track down the home secretary to discuss the issue, it is understood.
One source told the BBC there was no evidence that Ms Braverman had raised the incident herself before she was confronted with the mistake later that afternoon, and subsequently had to resign.
But a source close to Ms Braverman said around 12:00, she instructed officials to raise the breach with the cabinet secretary. That is still more than four hours after her original email that broke the rules and two hours after she had asked the recipient to "delete and ignore".
"The home secretary has been clear that once she realised she'd made this error of judgment she proactively reported it on official channels.
This incident is, of course, so serious that Braverman should never have been give the second chance Sunak offered her. However, it is on policy matters, especially around immigration, that this Home Secretary is nost toxic.
The Sunday Times reports that Braverman has been accused of failing to act on legal advice that the government was illegally detaining thousands of asylum seekers. The move could cost taxpayers an expensive court action.
They say that the home secretary received advice at least three weeks ago warning that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at the Manston asylum processing centre in Ramsgate, Kent. According to five sources, Braverman was also told that the legal breach needed to be resolved urgently by rehousing the asylum seekers in alternative accommodation.
They add that two sources said she was also warned by officials that the Home Office had no chance of defending a legal challenge and the matter could also result in a public inquiry if exposed:
A government source said: “The government is likely to be JR’d [judicially reviewed] and it’s likely that all of them would be granted asylum, so it’s going to achieve the exact opposite of what she wants. These people could also launch a class action against us and cost the taxpayer millions.”
Asylum seekers are meant to be in Manston, a short-term holding facility, for no more than 24 hours while they undergo checks before being moved into immigration detention centres or asylum accommodation.
But of the 2,600 migrants at the site — which was designed to hold a maximum of 1,600 — some, including families, have been held there for up to four weeks.
The majority are believed to have arrived on the south coast after crossing the Channel in small boats in recent weeks. The centre is now dealing with outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies, with staff at the site also reporting outbreaks of violence as tensions have mounted over the overcrowded conditions.
David Neal, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, told MPs on the home affairs select committee he was left shocked by the “wretched conditions” migrants were being kept in after he visited the centre.
In claims fiercely disputed by the home secretary, it is alleged that after receiving legal advice about Manston, she refused to solve the problem by securing new hotels for the asylum seekers to be transferred to.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the problems experienced at Manston formed part of wider failure to prepare for another record year of migrant crossings. So far this year more than 38,000 have crossed the Channel. There is also a mounting backlog of 100,000 asylum claims, with the average case now taking 480 days to process.
It was also claimed Braverman, a former attorney general, had “deliberately” chosen not to sign off enough hotels in an attempt to reduce the £6.8 million a day bill being paid by the government to house asylum seekers.
However, the Home Office, after declining to comment on the allegation originally, subsequently claimed on Saturday evening that it had done so on three occasions during this period.
Following Braverman’s sacking by Liz Truss for breaking the ministerial code on a separate matter, her immediate successor, Grant Shapps, began procuring hotels. He was updated on what a source said had by that point become a “screaming problem”.
“Three weeks ago, she was told directly by Home Office officials of the illegality of the site,” another source said. “It is an unofficial detention centre. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she still went ahead with it. She was also told at the same time that this could lead to a public inquiry.”
A senior Whitehall source added: “The law has been broken . . . It is an entirely illegal situation. You can’t just detain people. The department is basically in despair.”
Surely, Sunak must come to his senses and remove this dreadful minister from office.
In her defence, the home secretary said: "as soon as I realised my mistake, I rapidly reported this on official channels". She said she reported it to the cabinet secretary - the head of the civil service. But the BBC understands she sent the original email from her personal Gmail account to the wrong person, a member of parliamentary staff, at 7:52 BST on 19 October.
The document was a draft written ministerial statement related to immigration visas containing highly sensitive information about government policy.
At 8:30 the recipient sent her a message saying that it had been sent in error.
At 10:02 a message was then sent from the home secretary's personal Gmail account saying: "Please can you delete the message and ignore".
It is understood the chief whip at the time, Wendy Morton, was told what had happened around half an hour later by the office that had received the message in error. Ms Morton then urgently tried to track down the home secretary to discuss the issue, it is understood.
One source told the BBC there was no evidence that Ms Braverman had raised the incident herself before she was confronted with the mistake later that afternoon, and subsequently had to resign.
But a source close to Ms Braverman said around 12:00, she instructed officials to raise the breach with the cabinet secretary. That is still more than four hours after her original email that broke the rules and two hours after she had asked the recipient to "delete and ignore".
"The home secretary has been clear that once she realised she'd made this error of judgment she proactively reported it on official channels.
This incident is, of course, so serious that Braverman should never have been give the second chance Sunak offered her. However, it is on policy matters, especially around immigration, that this Home Secretary is nost toxic.
The Sunday Times reports that Braverman has been accused of failing to act on legal advice that the government was illegally detaining thousands of asylum seekers. The move could cost taxpayers an expensive court action.
They say that the home secretary received advice at least three weeks ago warning that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at the Manston asylum processing centre in Ramsgate, Kent. According to five sources, Braverman was also told that the legal breach needed to be resolved urgently by rehousing the asylum seekers in alternative accommodation.
They add that two sources said she was also warned by officials that the Home Office had no chance of defending a legal challenge and the matter could also result in a public inquiry if exposed:
A government source said: “The government is likely to be JR’d [judicially reviewed] and it’s likely that all of them would be granted asylum, so it’s going to achieve the exact opposite of what she wants. These people could also launch a class action against us and cost the taxpayer millions.”
Asylum seekers are meant to be in Manston, a short-term holding facility, for no more than 24 hours while they undergo checks before being moved into immigration detention centres or asylum accommodation.
But of the 2,600 migrants at the site — which was designed to hold a maximum of 1,600 — some, including families, have been held there for up to four weeks.
The majority are believed to have arrived on the south coast after crossing the Channel in small boats in recent weeks. The centre is now dealing with outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies, with staff at the site also reporting outbreaks of violence as tensions have mounted over the overcrowded conditions.
David Neal, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, told MPs on the home affairs select committee he was left shocked by the “wretched conditions” migrants were being kept in after he visited the centre.
In claims fiercely disputed by the home secretary, it is alleged that after receiving legal advice about Manston, she refused to solve the problem by securing new hotels for the asylum seekers to be transferred to.
Enver Solomon, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the problems experienced at Manston formed part of wider failure to prepare for another record year of migrant crossings. So far this year more than 38,000 have crossed the Channel. There is also a mounting backlog of 100,000 asylum claims, with the average case now taking 480 days to process.
It was also claimed Braverman, a former attorney general, had “deliberately” chosen not to sign off enough hotels in an attempt to reduce the £6.8 million a day bill being paid by the government to house asylum seekers.
However, the Home Office, after declining to comment on the allegation originally, subsequently claimed on Saturday evening that it had done so on three occasions during this period.
Following Braverman’s sacking by Liz Truss for breaking the ministerial code on a separate matter, her immediate successor, Grant Shapps, began procuring hotels. He was updated on what a source said had by that point become a “screaming problem”.
“Three weeks ago, she was told directly by Home Office officials of the illegality of the site,” another source said. “It is an unofficial detention centre. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she still went ahead with it. She was also told at the same time that this could lead to a public inquiry.”
A senior Whitehall source added: “The law has been broken . . . It is an entirely illegal situation. You can’t just detain people. The department is basically in despair.”
Surely, Sunak must come to his senses and remove this dreadful minister from office.
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She has to go cos of all her actions.The migrant problem will not go away until there is MORE THAN ADEQUATE housing (in camps?) for the continuing influx.The situation is exacerbated by the complete lack of housing for UK in general.
Along with this is the cutting of overseas aid that could be REINSTALLED and used wisely to allow the people to stay in there homelands.
With climate change it is possible that even more will come to avoid the coming storm in their homelands.The problem will not be solved by stopping them coming over the Channel. Radical thinking is needed not denigrating people who want the same as everybody else-a home, food in the belly,a job to go to,security.
Along with this is the cutting of overseas aid that could be REINSTALLED and used wisely to allow the people to stay in there homelands.
With climate change it is possible that even more will come to avoid the coming storm in their homelands.The problem will not be solved by stopping them coming over the Channel. Radical thinking is needed not denigrating people who want the same as everybody else-a home, food in the belly,a job to go to,security.
PPS. A solution could be found if there was a coalition of ALL the parties in the UK working together.
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