Tory civil war looms as rebel MPs vow to raise hell over Cameron and Braverman
Rishi Sunak's new-look Cabinet met for the first time this morning amid the growing threat of a Tory civil war over the decision to bring back David Cameron and sack Suella Braverman.
Ms Braverman was dramatically booted out of Government following a string of controversies - but her allies have pledged to "raise hell" amid rumoured WhatsApp plotting. The decision to bring back austerity-era leader Mr Cameron from the wilderness has left many on the Tory right "agog" and "angry", it was claimed.
In a blistering statement this afternoon Ms Braverman's supporters accused Tory leaders of abandoning voters following the reshuffle. It comes after backbencher Dame Andrea Jenkyns sent a scathing letter of no confidence publicly demanding Mr Sunak's removal. Many within the Tory fold are furious that the PM turned to Mr Cameron rather than recruiting from within the Parliamentary group.
Allies of Suella Braverman have threatened to "raise hell" (Marcin Nowak/LNP)In a joint statement Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, who head the hard-right New Conservatives faction, said: "The Conservative 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."
They said that the general election result in 2019 had been a "realignment", adding: "Until yesterday, we held onto the hope that the Government still believed in the realignment - that they would work to rebalance our economy, reorient our foreign policy, radically reduce migration, and restore common sense in our schools and universities."
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
"That hope - the project of the realignment - has now dwindled." Accusing Mr Sunak of abandoning Red Wall seats, they continued: "In political terms, it appears the leadership has decided to abandon the voters who switched to us last time, sacrificing the seats we won from Labour in 2019 in the hope of shoring up support elsewhere."
This morning former Tory MP Nadine Dorries claimed Tory MPs are angry over the reshuffle and demanded a General Election. She said this is particularly true in Red Wall seats, where Mr Cameron is not expected to be much of a vote winner.
She said: ‘It's utterly bizarre, because I can tell you what's happening within the Conservative Party right now. It is agog and it is angry. Lots of those MPs in those red wall seats, to the vast majority of them David Cameron means nothing to them."
One angry Tory told the Daily Mail that Ms Braverman's sacking would spark "civil war". Around 60 of her supporters had urged the PM not to remove her as Home Secretary over the weekend, but to no effect.
The source said: 'The way Suella has been targeted will mean civil war in the party. Letters urging the PM not to fire her have simply been ignored. People are absolutely furious."
And as news broke of Mr Cameron's appointment, a leaked message from a Tory WhatsApp group said: "WTAF!!!! DC had to resign because he failed to stand up to the EU and is completely gutless, he won't be able to address the HOC at questions whilst we are actually witnessing two major conflicts and finally he is an unelected FS appointed by an unelected PM. Let's see how this one plays out…."
Lord Cameron arriving for his first cabinet meeting under Mr Sunak (PA)
James Cleverly was appointed Home Secretary following Ms Braverman's sacking (PA)Members of the hard-right New Conservative group met yesterday. A member told The Telegraph that a response to Ms Braverman would happen in "slow motion" as they were happy to let No10 "have their day".
In the same newspaper Brexiteer Lord Frost said the reshuffle signalled the Tories are going "back to the past" and said: "Conservatives will have to make up their own minds as to whether they are fine with that and, if not, what they are going to do about it."
In the first public challenge to Mr Sunak, Dame Andrea shared a letter she'd written to the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers fuming "enough is enough". She wrote: "If it wasn't bad enough that we have a party leader that the members rejected, the polls demonstrate that the public reject him, and I am in full agreement. It is time for Rishi Sunak to go."
She accused the PM of a "machiavellian involvement" in the downfall of his predecessor Boris Johnson, and hit out at the sacking of Ms Braverman. Dame Andrea added: "To be 20 points plus behind in the polls and by-election defeat after defeat. How long are MP's going to sit on their hands and let him and his out-of-touch advisers damage our party irrevocably?"
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg also claimed that the decision to sack Ms Braverman was a mistake. He told GB News: "Suella understands what the country thinks about migration. It seems to me that the PM is not as well attuned to the voters' concerns as Suella Braverman."
And Tory MP Simon Clarke also decried the apparent shift to the centre, using a football analogy. He wrote on Twitter/X: "Never wise to lack options on the Right wing - the squad risks being badly unbalanced."
Ms Braverman herself has been uncharacteristically quiet, but is expected to break her silence in the coming days. In a short statement after her sacking - understood to have been carried out by phone - she said: "It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve as Home Secretary. I will have more to say in due course."
Who's in the cabinet now?
The new-look cabinet met for the first time this morning (PA)Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office
Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer
David Cameron - Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
James Cleverly - Secretary of State for the Home Department
Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Michael Gove - Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons
Lord True - Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords
Kemi Badenoch - Secretary of State for Business and Trade, President of the Board of Trade and Minister for Women and Equalities
Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Richard Holden - Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office
Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
David TC Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
Also attending Cabinet
Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
John Glen - Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General
Esther McVey - Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office
Robert Jenrick - Minister of State (Minister for Immigration) in the Home Office
Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Minister for Security) in the Home Office
Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Minister for Development) in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Minister for Veterans’ Affairs) in the Cabinet Office
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
