UK Crisis: Why Indian-origin UK Minister Suella Braverman Quit The Liz Truss Govt

On Wednesday, Britain’s interior minister Suella Braverman tendered her resignation citing “technical infringement of the rules” she committed while sending official documents to a parliamentary colleague. Braverman was sacked by UK PM Liz Truss after she sent an official document from her personal email breaching ministerial rules and policies.

The document in question refers to a draft written statement on migration that is considered a sensitive piece of information because of its implications for market-sensitive growth forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

However, while stepping down from her post, Braverman, the minister responsible for immigration and law and order, criticised Prime Minister Liz Truss, saying she had “concerns about the direction of this government”. Although Braverman, who belongs to the Conservative’s far-right wing, cited a “technical breach” of government as her reason to quit the party, it is evident how her differing views from Truss forced her out of the party. 

In her letter to the UK Prime Minister shared on Twitter, Braverman said, “Pretending we have not made mistakes carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics. I have made a mistake, I accept responsibility; I resign.”

 

Braverman, who was appointed UK's Home Secretary on September 6 and succeeded Indian-descent Priti Patel, became the UK’s shortest-serving home secretary with a tenure of 43 days. 

Further, she also spoke against the India-UK trade deal making comments about Indian migrants overstaying their visas. Now Braverman’s departure adds a further serious blow to Truss’s authority.

Who is Suella Braverman?

Goa-born Suella Braverman, 42, served as the Attorney General in the British Cabinet. Former barrister Suella Braverman belongs to the harder Brexit wing of the Tory party and wants a clear break from Europe, including taking the UK out of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

In her poll campaign video, she also referred to the personal history of her Mauritian mother and Goan-origin father who migrated to the UK from Kenya.

“They loved Britain. It gave them hope. It gave them security. This country gave them an opportunity. I think my approach to politics really informs my background,” says the MP for Fareham in southeast England.

Braverman studied at Cambridge University and completed a master's degree in European and French law at Pantheon-Sorbonne University. She then went on to specialise in commercial litigation, judicial review, immigration and planning law at No5 Chambers in London.
Braverman entered politics in 2005, when she contested from the Leicester East constituency. She lost out to Labour candidate Keith Vaz but was eventually selected as the Conservative candidate in Fareham and elected to the House of Commons as Fareham MP in 2015. She won by 56.1 per cent of the vote and a majority of 22,262.

Since 2015, she served on the Education Select Committee, as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Treasury, and as a Brexit Minister. In November 2018 she resigned from her role as Brexit Minister.

On February 13, 2020, Braverman was appointed as Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland, succeeding Geoffrey Cox. She is the second female Attorney General and the first Conservative female Attorney General.

The mother of two’s maternity leave famously brought about an overdue law change last year to allow her to remain a Cabinet minister while away to give birth. In a vote among the Tory membership by the Conservative Home website, she came in at fourth – just behind Sunak at third.

Braverman's recent remarks on UK-India trade deal 

Recently, in an interview, Braverman talked about the “reservations” in the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India and linked the same with “illegal migration”. 

India and the UK are close to sealing a free trade agreement (FTA), which aims to increase bilateral trade, facilitate the smooth movement of people between the two countries, and cut tariffs on the import of Scotch whiskey into India. While the deal was to be signed by Diwali, the deadline has now been pushed, and Barverman’s comments are seen as having played a role in that.

In an interview with the London-based magazine The Spectator, Braverman expressed her concern over the easing migration policy between England and India through the FTA, which the countries are deciding to seal by the end of this year. 

“I have concerns about having an open borders migration policy with India because I don’t think that’s what people voted for with Brexit,” Braverman told The Spectator.

Commenting on the issue of Indians being the largest community to overstay their visas in the UK, Braverman said that last year, an agreement was reached through the Migration and Mobility Partnership, “to encourage and facilitate better co-operation in this regard”, however, the issue has not been resolved quite well. 

Further, Braverman pointed out that the several courses being offered across different higher-educational institutions in the UK are not of high quality, creating an increasing number of low-skilled migrants and the growing number of student visas being issued.

Braverman’s view on the FTA stands in direct contrast to the view of Truss cutting through their ties as fellow leaders. 

A blow to Truss’s Ministerial position

UK PM Liz Truss was hanging on to power by a thread on Thursday after Braverman quit her government with a barrage of criticism and a vote in the House of Commons descended into chaos and acrimony.

Braverman became the second senior leader to quit in less than two weeks from the cabinet after Truss dismissed her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng. The chancellor of the exchequer was dismissed in person by Truss after he rushed back early from international meetings in Washington, and before she was due to hold her first Downing Street news conference. 

A botched economic plan unveiled by the government last month triggered financial turmoil and a political crisis that has seen the replacement of Truss’ Treasury chief, multiple policy U-turns and a breakdown of discipline in the governing Conservative Party.
 
Many Conservatives say Truss must resign – but she has remained defiant, saying she is “a fighter and not a quitter.”

Conservative lawmaker Simon Hoare said the government was in disarray.
 
“Nobody has a route plan. It’s all sort of hand-to-hand fighting on a day-to-day basis,” he told the BBC on Thursday. He said Truss had “about 12 hours” to turn the situation around.

With opinion polls giving the Labour Party a large and growing lead, many Conservatives now believe their only hope of avoiding electoral oblivion is to replace Truss. But they are divided about how to get rid of her and as yet there is no front-runner to succeed her.
 
Braverman will be replaced by former Cabinet minister Grant Shapps.

(with inputs from agencies)