Rishi Sunak has refused to deny that top government officials raised concerns about the return of Suella Braverman as home secretary only six days after her sacking over a security breach.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer challenged the new prime minister about his most controversial cabinet appointment during their first clash at PMQs.
Accusing Mr Sunak of doing a “grubby deal” with Ms Braverman to back his leadership bid on Sunday, Sir Keir asked whether officials had “raised concerns about her reappointment”.
Mr Sunak refused to deny concerns had been raised – saying Ms Braverman had admitted she had made an “error of judgement” by sending government documents from her personal email account.
“The home secretary made an error of judgement but she recognised that,” the new PM told the Commons. “She raised the matter and she accepted her mistake.”
Mr Sunak added: “And that’s why I was delighted to welcome her back into a united cabinet that brings experience and stability to the heart of government.”
Mr Sunak’s official spokesperson later said he “did not recognise” reports that cabinet secretary Simon Case, the nation’s most senior civil servant, was “livid” over Ms Braverman’s swift return. But he was unable to deny that Mr Case raised concerns about the security breach when she was proposed for a return to government.
The PM’s press secretary denied that the offer of home secretary was made to Ms Braverman as Mr Sunak sought her support in the leadership contest last weekend, saying that it was first raised on Tuesday as he constructed his new cabinet.
In a feisty exchange, Sir Keir said Ms Braverman had been sacked by Liz Truss for “deliberately pinging around sensitive Home Office documents from her personal account”.
After Mr Sunak refused to say whether officials had raised concerns, the Labour leader said: “I listened carefully, that was clearly not a no.”
Sir Keir added: “We can all see what’s happened here – he’s so weak, he’s done a grubby deal trading national security because he was scared to lose another leadership election. There’s a new Tory at the top, but as always with them, party first, country second.”
Ms Truss forced Ms Braverman out after she breached the ministerial code by sending an official government document to a Tory backbencher from a personal email.
Ms Braverman admitted she made a “mistake”, which she described as a “technical infringement” of the ministerial rules.
But questions remain about why she sent the document to fellow right-wing MP Sir John Hayes and how she accidentally copied in an aide to another MP, who sounded the alarm.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have demanded a Cabinet Office investigation on Wednesday after the new prime minister handed her a top role.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has written to Mr Case demanding an investigation “into the extent of this and other possible security breaches”.
And a senior Labour source said that any advice indicating civil service concern over her appointment “should be in the public domain”.
Asked whether Ms Braverman had received full security clearance in the light of her admission of leaking a secret document, Mr Sunak’s spokesperson told reporters that “any minister will have the requisite security clearance to do their role”.
SNP leader Ian Blackford accused Mr Sunak of doing a “sleazy backroom deal” with Braverman at the weekend to help “shore up” right-wing support for his bid to Ms Truss.
Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin later appeared to rule out any investigation into Ms Braverman. He told the Commons that Ms Braverman had “informed the relevant parties” about her mistake.
Mr Quin said that even if Mr Sunak appoints a new independent adviser, it would “not be proper” for them to probe “events in the last administration”, adding there was no case for “going back over past ground”.
Mr Sunak was also challenged at PMQs over the “shameless” appointment of Gavin Williamson as minister at the Cabinet Office, given his sacking as defence secretary under Theresa May after allegedly leaking information from the national security council (NSC).
Labour MP Stephen Kinnock asked whether he had received any security advice about Mr Williamson – but the new PM again refused to say whether advice had been given.
Meanwhile, Mr Starmer mocked recent Tory turmoil as he again called on Mr Sunak to go to the polls.
“He got trounced by the former prime minister who herself got beaten by a lettuce – so why doesn’t he put it to the test, let working people have their say, and call a general election.”
Referring to Sir Keir’s Brexit stance, Mr Sunak replied: “He talks about mandates, about voters, about elections. It’s a bit rich coming from the person who tried to overturn the biggest democratic vote in our country’s history.”
Sir Keir also called on Mr Sunak to “get rid” of non-domicile tax rules – mocking the prime minister over his wife’s former non-dom status.
“I don’t need to explain to the prime minister how non-dom status works – he already knows all about that. It costs the Treasury £3.2bn every year. Why doesn’t he put his … money where his mouth is and get rid of it?”
Mr Sunak replied by saying he would “protect the most vulnerable” when it came to spending cuts ahead, as he bids to fix the mistakes made in Ms Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget.
“I have been honest, we will have to take difficult decisions to restore economic stability and confidence … This government is going to restore economic stability and we will do it in a fair and compassionate way.”
