Downing Street has shelved plans tabled by now-sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ban rough sleepers sheltering in tents as Rishi Sunak insisted his new Cabinet is now a “strong and united team”.
Ms Braverman, seen as a leadership threat to Mr Sunak, was sacked in the Prime Minister’s reshuffle on Monday amid the shock re-introduction to frontline politics of former PM David Cameron, who was named the new Foreign Secretary.
James Cleverley left the Foreign Office to take on Ms Braverman’s role as Home Secretary and is awaiting the decision of the Supreme Court on Wednesday after the UK Government appealed a ruling that its controversial Rwanda asylum policy is unlawful.
The overhaul of Mr Sunak's Cabinet has been criticised by the right-wing of his party, with whom Ms Braverman had become a popular figure, while many hardline Brexiteers regard Mr Cameron as a villain.
Read more: Suella Braverman: A timeline of controversies
Dame Andrea Jenkyns has submitted a furious letter of no confidence in Mr Sunak to the 1922 Committee, calling for a new leader of the Tory party ahead of next year’s general election.
Enough is enough, I have submitted my vote of no confidence letter to the Chairman of the 1922. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go and replace him with a 'real' Conservative party leader. pic.twitter.com/yJmGc14d75
— Andrea Jenkyns MP 🇬🇧 (@andreajenkyns) November 13, 2023
Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, who co-chair the New Conservatives grouping of MPs, criticised Mr Sunak in a statement, warning the Tory party “now looks like it is deliberately walking away from the coalition of voters who brought us into power with a large majority in 2019” through “a major change in the policy direction of the Government”.
Ms Braverman was heavily criticised for her comments relating to the Met Police’s strategy regarding protests, claiming the force is biased.
She also came under fire for her rhetoric on immigration, claiming that multiculturalism has “failed” and suggested that being persecuted for being a woman or gay wasn’t good enough reason for seeking asylum.
The Tory MP also received a backlash for proposing banning rough sleepers from seeking shelter in tents, claiming it was a “lifestyle choice”.
Following her being sacked, Downing Street said Ms Braverman’s plans for a crackdown on the use of tents had been shelved.
The plans will not be included in the Criminal Justice Bill, No 10 indicated.
Read more: Cameron insists he will be accountable as SNP demand new Gaza stance
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s not going to be introduced in the Criminal Justice Bill. I’m not aware of any plans for its introduction elsewhere.”
In an attempt to please those in the right-wing of his party, Mr Sunak has handed veteran MP Esther McVey the unofficial title of “minister for common sense”.
Officially a minister without portfolio at the Cabinet Office, the GB News presenter’s exact responsibilities have not yet been set out, with new Tory party chairman Richard Holden telling Times Radio she was there to “represent a part of that broad panoply of opinion that the Conservative Party represent”.
Described as a “plain-speaking northerner”, she appears to have been brought in with a brief to tackle “woke” issues in Whitehall.
One of her priorities could be cutting the number of diversity officers in the Civil Service.
Asked about her role as “minister for common sense”, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters that was “not her public title”.
Pressed on whether her title was “the minister for the war on woke”, the spokesman said: “Again, happy to repeat she is the minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.”
PM claims 'strong and united team' will 'deliver change'
Mr Sunak held his first Cabinet meeting with his new team, claiming that his frontbench will “stand up for our values and provide security for everyone here at home” as well as “navigating the crises in Ukraine and the Middle East”.
He also suggested his Cabinet will “make the big, bold decisions that will drive change”, pointing to “a new approach to infrastructure spending, ushering in a generation of children that will grow up smoke-free, reforms to how we approach net zero to save families thousands of pounds and radically reforming our education system”.
Highlighting the changes to his Cabinet, Mr Sunak said: “A warm welcome to those for whom it’s their first Cabinet and also a welcome to those for whom it may not be their first time.
Read more: James Cleverly: How will he tackle the Rwanda plan after court ruling?
“Our purpose is nothing less than to make the long-term decisions that are going to change our country for the better.
“I know that this strong and united team is going to deliver that change for everybody. Looking around this table, I know that we have an energetic and enthusiastic team that is going to deliver for the country.”
Mr Sunak acknowledged it was an “important week”, with inflation figures and the Supreme Court’s Rwanda ruling expected on Wednesday and the Chancellor’s autumn statement next Wednesday.
He said: “Across all of that I’m confident that we can demonstrate to the country that we are making progress on the priorities that I set out at the beginning of the year – to halve inflation, grow the economy,”
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