Tories at war as Suella Braverman letter sparks 'grid of s***' warning for PM

15 November 2023 , 07:56

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Suella Braverman's unprecedented attack on Rishi Sunak has sent shockwaves through the party (Image: PA)

Suella Braverman's explosive attack on Rishi Sunak has opened up a gaping chasm in the Tory Party as the Prime Minister grapples to maintain order.

Supporters of the former Home Secretary, who was finally sacked on Monday, have rallied round her after her unprecedented letter accusing him of dishonesty and incompetence. Tory heavyweight Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said Ms Braverman's rage reflected the "sulphurous" mood on the backbenches.

And it is claimed No10 faces a "grid of s***" in the coming days after angering the right-wing of the party. But elsewhere MPs have hit back at her, branding her blistering letter "unforgivable", while Tory grandee Lord Michael Howard said the Government is "better off without her".

Tory WhatsApp group have been ablaze with bitter clashes since Ms Braverman shared her letter, which said Mr Sunak had "manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver" all his key policies. One Tory MP has already publicly declared she has no confidence in Mr Sunak, while plotters will make life miserable for the PM.

The letter reflects the 'sulphurous' mood among Tory MPs, it was claimed (WireImage)

But Downing Street insiders believe that for all her bluster, Ms Braverman has little support within the Parliamentary group. Among those who have come out in support of her is Sir Jacob, who said: "Suella Braverman's letter is excoriating, I've never seen anything like, and it's part of the sulphurous mood on the Tory backbenches."

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He went on to say: "Suella Braverman is right - the Prime Minister has repeatedly and manifestly not delivered on his promises." And speaking ahead of the crunch Supreme Court ruling on whether the Rwanda deportation project is legal he added: "Sadly, this government no longer seems serious about solving illegal or even legal migration. If the government isn't careful this will be reflected in the next election."

And right-winger John Redwood described the attack as "a very serious letter, very powerfully written". And The Daily Express reports the PM has been warned he faces a "grid of s***" in the coming days.

But not everyone agrees. Veteran Tory MP Martin Vickers told the BBC her letter was "unforgivable". He said: "What I find unforgivable from Suella is that the tone of her letter is actually damaging to every Conservative candidate in next year’s election."

And former Tory leader Lord Howard said Ms Braverman was guilty of "shameful insubordination". He wrote in The Telegraph: "Thinking of the common good requires one to put the common good before personal ambition and pique. Mrs Braverman has failed to live by those words. The Government is better off without her."

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Mr Sunak sparked anger on Monday when he sent Ms Braverman packing, while making the surprise decision to bring David Cameron back into Government. Insiders say this enraged many in the party, particularly Red Wall MPs who believe it will make it even harder to hold their seats.

In a blistering statement yesterday 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.

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.

"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."

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Yesterday 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…."

A No 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister believes in actions not words. He is proud that this government has brought forward the toughest legislation to tackle illegal migration this country has seen and has subsequently reduced the number of boat crossings by a third this year. And whatever the outcome of the Supreme Court tomorrow, he will continue that work.

"The PM thanks the former home secretary for her service."

Labour's Lisa Nandy said Ms Braverman's attack on Mr Sunak was "another chapter in the Tory psychodrama that has cost our country dear". The Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael added: "This is yet more Conservative chaos. Suella Braverman failed at every task at hand as Home Secretary and now she seems determined to drag everyone else down with her.
“While people struggle to see their GP or pay their mortgages, this government is too busy dealing with their own infighting. When will this Conservative Party soap opera end?”

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Dave Burke