Civil servants call for Suella Braverman to say sorry over small boat accusations
Suella Braverman faces calls to apologise or be sacked for accusing civil servants of blocking efforts to stop small boat crossings.
The home secretary’s signature was put on an email to Conservative party members blaming ‘an activist blob of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour party’ for trying to thwart the latest immigration crackdown.
No.10 said Ms Braverman ‘did not see, sign off or sanction’ the message.
But Dave Penman, boss of the FDA union that represents civil servants, said she should apologise for a direct attack on her staff.
He added a reminder that she was required under the Ministerial Code to uphold the political impartiality of the Civil Service.
The Prospect union, another that represents public sector managers, wrote to PM Rishi Sunak to demand an apology from Ms Braverman.
And the Liberal Democrats called for an official investigation into whether she breached the code – and for her to be sacked if she did. A Conservative party spokesperson said: ‘This was a Conservative Campaign Headquarters email and the wording wasn’t seen by the home secretary. We are reviewing our internal clearance processes.’
At prime minister’s questions, Mr Sunak dismissed criticism of the bill by Sir Keir Starmer as coming from ‘just another leftie lawyer’. The Labour leader called the PM ‘absolutely deluded’ to think the plans would work.
Ms Braverman quit as home secretary last October for sharing an official document via her personal email but was reinstated days later by Mr Sunak.
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