Suella Braverman has been sacked as UK Home Secretary after being at the centre of several controversies. The cabinet minister was asked to leave her position on the morning of Monday, November 13, as Rishi Sunak reshuffles his government.

Braverman has come under fire on a number of occasions as of late, most recently for her comments in an article published by The Times. The politician reportedly defied Downing Street’s instructions to tone down her remarks on pro-Palestine protests, labelling rallies calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as “hate marches” and comparing them to sectarian demonstrations in Northern Ireland.

She further criticised the London Metropolitan Police’s handling of the protests and said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown objectors were “given no quarter” by the force, while Black Lives Matter activists were “allowed to break the rules”.

Braverman also sparked outrage recently with statements published on X, where she described homelessness as a “lifestyle choice”.

She has similarly spoken out against LGBTQ+ rights during her time in office. In September, as part of her Washing DC address, she suggested that the UN Refugee Convention has been too generous in the past when it comes to immigration, stating: “We will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection.” 

On a separate occasion, she insisted that trans women have “no place” in women’s hospital wards.

Responding to the news of her departure, First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, commented, “Never has someone been so unfit for public office as Suella Braverman.

“At a time when we need those in Government to bring communities together, she revelled in fanning the flames of division,” he added.

Never has someone been so unfit for public office as Suella Braverman.

At a time when we need those in Government to bring communities together, she revelled in fanning the flames of division.

The Tories are out of ideas and out of time, there should be a General Election now. https://t.co/QHQZ4nEiE4

— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) November 13, 2023

Jess Phillips, part of the Labour Party’s shadow home affair team, similarly deemed Braverman to be the “worst home secretary in living memory,” not just for her “obvious ghoulish divisions” but also because “she simply didn’t understand her job”.

Issuing a statement of her own, Braverman said it has been the “greatest privilege” of her life to hold the position, adding, “I will have more to say in due course.”

This is the second time that Suella Braverman has been sacked as Home Secretary, with Liz Truss ordering her to resign in October 2022 just weeks into the job. Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has been named as her replacement, with ex-Prime Minister David Cameron filling Cleverly’s position.