Suella Braverman 'to go nuclear with Rishi Sunak' if Rwanda plan deemed illegal
Suella Braverman is set for a blistering showdown with Rishi Sunak if the controversial Rwanda plan is deemed illegal this week.
The under-fire Home Secretary has sparked speculation she may quit if top judges torpedo the deal and the PM refuses to rally against human rights laws. On Wednesday the Supreme Court will deliver a final verdict on the Government's Rwanda plan, which has been dismissed as a "gimmick" by critics.
Mr Sunak is already weighing up whether to sack her over an unauthorised attack on police impartiality, but if she's still in post things could come to a head this week. If the Home Office loses the court case, Ms Braverman is expected to call for the UK to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - a popular idea on the Tory right.
Ms Braverman, pictured on a PR trip to Kigali earlier this year, is expected to throw a massive strop if the Rwanda scheme is ruled to be illegal (PA)An insider branded this the "nuclear option", said to be favoured by the under-fire Home Secretary. But Mr Sunak is said to be less keen.
This morning he was urged to fire the Home Secretary rather than letting her quit, amid growing claims his inaction reveals he is weak. Downing Street is looking at how an inflammatory column she penned ended up being published - but refused to say when her fate would be decided.
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This week judges will make a final ruling over whether the Rwanda scheme - which would see asylum seekers deported to the African nation - is allowed. The High Court previously ruled that it was not, as Rwanda couldn't be described as a safe coutry.
A Tory insider told the Mail on Sunday: "Quitting the ECHR would be very much the nuclear option. It's Suella's preferred option. Rishi wants to keep his options open."
Ms Braverman favours a snap election calling on voters to 'Quit the ECHR' - like Boris Johnson's 2019 Get Brexit Done campaign, insiders say. Ministers will also consider changing to Human Rights Act to ensure its terms don't apply to asylum seekers, it is claimed.
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has called for Ms Braverman to be sacked and not allowed to resign. He accused the Home Secretary of "fanning the flames of division".
Mr Yousaf said: "The result of that, of course, is, as we saw, individuals on the far right actively attacking the police. I'm afraid that the Home Secretary's position, in my view, is untenable.
"She should not even be allowed to resign, she should just be sacked by the Prime Minister because no Home Secretary should be fanning the flames of division - quite the opposite."
And Defence Secretary Grant Shapps wouldn't be drawn on whether Ms Braverman would still be in post by next weekend. He told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: "As you know, and I know well, a week's a long time in politics. I never make predictions about these things."
Pressed on calls for her removal, he said: "The make-up of the Cabinet is entirely a matter for the Prime Minister. He will decide that in his own time."
Labour's shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said Mrs Braverman cannot stay in her job. She blamed the ugly scenes in London on Mrs Braverman's "appalling and unprecedented attack" on the Metropolitan Police's operational independence and impartiality.
"I don't see how she can continue to do this job, she does not have the credibility or the authority to do the serious job of Home Secretary," Ms Cooper said. "I think this is a matter for Rishi Sunak, I think he needs to deal with this.
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"I think he appointed her and he needs to do something about it, because otherwise all that he shows is he is weak, he doesn't care about policing and he doesn't care about the security of our country."
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