In the midst of a reshuffle, UK PM Rishi Sunak dismissed Interior Minister Suella Braverman amid rising tensions over her management of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. She was replaced by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly following her unauthorized article criticizing the police for bias towards left-wing causes. Former PM David Cameron was appointed as the new foreign secretary.

British leader Rishi Sunak sacked controversial Interior Minister Suella Braverman Monday, as he attempts a reset by reshuffling his top team ahead of a general election expected next year.

Sunak had come under growing pressure to axe Braverman, an outspoken right-winger, after critics accused her of heightening tensions during weeks of contentious pro-Palestinian demonstrations and counter-protests in Britain.

The Prime Minister replaced 43-year-old Braverman, who was appointed to the post when Sunak became prime minister just over a year ago, with James Cleverly, who has been foreign secretary. The firing comes as the ruling Conservatives confirmed a major reshuffle of Sunak’s top ministers was underway, his first since becoming the country’s leader in October last year.

A protester holds a placard reading “Cruella (as a reference to Britain’s Home Secretary Suella Braverman) spreads hate, a puppet for a terrorist state”, while taking part in the ‘National March For Palestine’ in central London on November 11, 2023. (Henry Nicholls, AFP)

Braverman had stoked controversy throughout her tenure, taking a hardliner stance on immigration in particular and regularly wading into so-called culture wars issues which are considered to divide the electorate. But her position became increasingly untenable after she wrote last week an explosive newspaper article, without Sunak’s approval, accusing the police of bias towards left-wing causes.

In an opinion piece published in the Times daily, Braverman suggested officers “play favorites” when policing protests and claimed they largely ignored “pro-Palestinian mobs” during the demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. The article was blamed for stoking tensions ahead of a weekend of protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, which coincided with Armistice Day events, and prompted calls for her to be sacked. Critics said her comments had encouraged far-right protesters to hold counter demos on the sidelines of the main march on Saturday. Downing Street launched an investigation into how the article was published without its consent, as required by the ministerial code.

Former UK prime minister David Cameron made a surprise return to frontline politics Monday after British leader Rishi Sunak appointed him foreign secretary in a government reshuffle. Cameron, who was Britain’s leader from 2010 to 2016 before quitting after losing the Brexit referendum, replaces James Cleverly.

Gabriela De La Cruz, with AFP