British Home Secretary Suella Braverman quit from her post and criticized the embattled Prime Minister Liz Truss in a blistering resignation letter on a day there was more chaos in the Commons during a vote on fracking, with allegations of MPs being manhandled to support the government. Braverman said she quit after sending an official document from her personal email, a breach of ministerial rules. She said she is resigning with the greatest regret. "Earlier today, I sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration. "This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules. As you know, the document was a draft Written Ministerial Statement about migration, due for publication imminently. Much of it had already been briefed to MPs. Nevertheless it is right for me to go. "As soon as I realized my mistake, I rapidly reported this on official channels, and informed the Cabinet Secretary. As Home Secretary I hold myself to the highest standards and my resignation is the right thing to do. The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes." Grant Shapps was quickly appointed as the new Home Secretary after Braverman's resignation was accepted by Truss. He served as Transport Secretary under Boris Johnson Braverman held one of the top jobs in government, with responsibilities including overseeing UK borders, policing and counter-terrorism. The 42-year-old Brexiteer strongly supported controversial plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. On the right of the party, Braverman ran in the Tory leadership contest herself that Truss ultimately won, pledging to stand up to "woke rubbish". Braverman — now out of one of the top roles in government — added further chaos to this week for the prime minister, at a time when those in No 10 are desperate to show unity and stability in government. She was firmly on the right of the party, and her departure from government may well trigger further upset from some of her political allies, such as those who backed her to be the Tory leader. However, there's a lot of chatter about whether there's more to Braverman's resignation than a breach of email security protocols. Paul Goodman, editor of Tory grassroots website Conservative Home, reported that the outgoing home secretary had a row with Downing Street about migration policy. In a tweet, Goodman said Braverman was under pressure from No 10 to announce a "liberalizing migration plan that would make it easier for the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) to say the government would hit its growth target". In a short letter accepting Braverman's resignation, Prime Minister Truss wrote: "It is important that the ministerial code is upheld and that Cabinet confidentiality is respected." "I am grateful for your service as home secretary. Your time in office has been marked by your steadfast commitment to keeping the British people safe. "You oversaw the largest ever ceremonial policing operation, when thousands of officers were deployed from forces across the United Kingdom to ensure the safety of the Royal Family and all those who gathered in mourning for Her Late Majesty The Queen. "I am also grateful for your previous work as attorney general, as my Cabinet colleague and in particular your work on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill. I look forward to working with you in the future and wish you all the best." Shapps, meanwhile, said it's a "great honor" to serve in the new role and he's looking forward to getting on with the job and providing the security British people need. Asked whether the government has broken key pledges in areas such as migration, he said: "You'll forgive me, I'm literally 10 minutes into the job, so I'll refrain from commenting on the specifics of this role for the second." He added he accepts the government has had a difficult period, before turning to walk into the Home Office. In Shapps's short statement outside the Home Office, some noticed the new Home Secretary praised the (also relatively new) Chancellor, but did not mention Prime Minister Liz Truss at all. After acknowledging the government had been through a "turbulent time", Shapps told reporters: "Jeremy Hunt has done a great job settling issues in relation to that mini-budget." Later, the government defeated Labour's plans to try and host a vote on the government's fracking plans. However, the numbers look like several Tory MPs could well have not supported the government. It was confirmed that this vote was being seen as a de facto vote of confidence in the prime minister and government. As a result, Tory MPs were effectively told they would be suspended from the parliamentary party — and have to become an independent MP — if they voted against the government. However, there seems to be now a bit of confusion about whether or not that was the case. Opposition MPs have asked the government to clarify whether or not it was, and therefore whether Tory MPs were free or not to vote how they wanted to. Tory MPs have told the BBC that the chief whip Wendy Morton and deputy chief whip, are no longer in post. The party whips are responsible for party discipline as well as MPs' welfare. There is a lot of confusion in Westminster tonight, said Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, who added, "he doesn't know whether Chief Whip Morton is still in post." "I am not entirely clear on what the situation is with the chief whip," the Cabinet minister told Sky News following the vote on fracking. Senior Conservative MP Charles Walker told the BBC that after this evening's events in the voting lobby, he's livid and has run out of patience with his party and his colleagues. Visibly shaken, Walker said it is "inexcusable" and there is "no coming back" from this for the government. "I think it's a shambles and a disgrace," Walker said, adding that the current government has damaged his party's reputation. He said he has had enough of "talentless" people being in Cabinet and said he hopes it was worth it for those who backed Truss for a red box or a seat around the Cabinet table. Walker, an MP for 17 years, said many fellow Tory backbenchers are frustrated by the current Cabinet and afraid for their jobs. "Patience has reached the limit," he added. — BBC
