Rishi Sunak news – live: Manston ‘wasn’t overcrowded before Braverman took over’

The decision for Rishi Sunak to skip the crucial climate summit in Egypt next week is “under review” (Saphora Smith writes).

The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters on Monday that a call will be made depending on how much progress the new prime minister makes on the de facto budget slated to take place on 17 November.

“The prime minister is focused on pressing domestic issues, most significantly preparing for the autumn statement, so any attendance at Cop would depend on progress on preparation for that fiscal event, and that work is ongoing,” he said.

Former Home Office mandarin Sir David Normington said if Suella Braverman had deliberately decided not to book hotels to address overcrowding at Manston it could be another breach of the ministerial code.

Sir David, who was the department’s permanent secretary from 2005 to 2011, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One that he hoped Ms Braverman would give a full account of the situation.

“If it was deliberate, it’s a very serious matter,” he said. “It’s potentially another breach of the ministerial code because home secretaries, ministers, have to obey the law.

“They mustn’t knowingly disobey or break the law. It’s a serious matter but we don’t know the facts and we will hear from the home secretary this afternoon.”

Suella Braverman’s statement is expected around 5.15pm this afternoon:

Photographs from the Manston short-term holding centre this morning show migrants held behind the fences of the Kent facility.

Priti Patel is blaming her successor Suella Braverman for the failure to take steps to prevent the Kent asylum centre crisis, piling further pressure on the home secretary.

The Home Office has been accused by a Tory MP of a “deliberate” decision to allow dangerous overcrowding at the Manston site, possibly to send a harsh message to would-be refugees.

Now Ms Patel has made known she did book hotel rooms for asylum seekers while in charge of the Home Office – raising the question of why the practice stopped when Ms Braverman took over last month.

“There was never any overcrowding when she was there. What would happen was, if it got to the point where people were getting worried about conditions, we would sign off on more hotels,” a source close to Ms Patel said.

The letter sent by Suella Braverman to the home affairs committee explaining her sending of official documents to her personal email account includes details of all six occassions she admitted to.

Suella Braverman is due to appear in the House of Commons later today after she gave further details of the breach of the ministerial code which triggered her resignation as home secretary under Liz Truss.

She is expected to take questions on the matter, as well as on the issues at the Manston migrant processing centre.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has “full confidence” in his home secretary Suella Braverman, Downing Street has said (Andrew Woodcock writes).

The statement came as Ms Braverman was embroiled in two rows, over leaks from her mobile phone and deteriorating conditions at the Manston processing centre for migrants in Kent.

She is expected to address parliament and take questions from MPs on both issues this afternoon.

Home Affairs Select Committee chair Dame Diana Johnson said Suella Braverman needs to come to the House of Commons to explain her position.

The home secretary today wrote to the committee to admit sending sensitive government information to her personal email account – in a scandal that led to her resignation in the final days of Liz Truss’s government.

Dame Johnson told Times Radio: “I think she needs to come today to the House of Commons. I don’t think she needs to be summoned.

“I think she needs to decide she’s coming herself and she’s going to make a statement and deal with all of these issues and questions that have been rising up over the last few weeks since she was reappointed.

“She’s got to deal with this because until this is dealt with, she can’t get on and do the job of Home Secretary.”

The Home Secretary has admitted sending official documents to her personal email address on six different occasions (Jon Stone writes).

Suella Braverman claimed that the documents “did not pose any risk to national security” and were not secret or top secret.

It comes after she resigned from her role for sending files outside of government – before being reappointed six days later.

Ms Braverman said the documents were “related to public lines to take in interviews” or took place when she was conducting meetings virtually.

In a letter to the chair of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee Suella Braverman outlined further details of the breach of the ministerial code which triggered her previous resignation.