Suella Braverman has been accused of stirring “hatred and division” as Rishi Sunak faces calls to sack the home secretary over her incendiary claim that the police are biased.
Ms Braverman’s job is on the line after Downing Street made clear that it had not approved an extraordinary article in which she accused officers of playing favourites over a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day.
No 10 says it is investigating after it demanded that changes be made to the piece but the request was ignored. As the home secretary’s claims sparked a furious outcry, one Conservative minister broke ranks to accuse her of fuelling “hatred and division”.
Meanwhile George Osborne, the former Tory chancellor, said the prime minister risked looking weak if he decided not to axe Ms Braverman.
Are protests putting veterans off attending the Cenotaph this weekend?
Fears over far-right groups and pro-Palestinian protesters clashing this weekend have left some veterans making the decision to stay away from Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph in London.
Liz McConaghy, now 41, was the longest-serving female crewman on the Royal Air Force Chinook Fleet. She evacuated thousands of soldiers out of Afghanistan in her 17-year career and has now decided to skip the event.
“I think it is still divided with the veterans. Lots of people are going to stand their ground. I think a lot will go just to prove a point but it should be about remembering.
“I think people need to go for the right reasons. We can see everything that has been going on in London this week and we just feel a bit abandoned by our country. It’s our one day of the year and it is time to get behind us. We all feel a bit abandoned and disillusioned this week.”
My colleague Barney Davis has the full report:
Police Federation hits out at Braverman’s ‘ill-informed criticism from the sidelines’
The Police Federation has warned that police will have a hard enough job this weekend without “ill-informed criticism from the sidelines”, following Suella Braverman’s claims in The Times of a public perception of pro-Palestinian bias in policing protests.
Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: “The policing of protests should be left to those who are charged with that role. They will make a risk assessment based on intelligence available to them and this should be done free of political interference. Our members are the professionals and have been entrusted to fulfil such duties, without fear or favour.
“I encourage all who may attend tomorrow’s march to remain peaceful as is the organisers’ aim. Free peaceful expression of opinions is a cornerstone of our democracy and one we are legally obliged to uphold.
“Officers on the ground are in the unenviable position of having to deal with issues in real time and without the benefit of hindsight.
“It’s not unusual that intelligence collated in the control room may differ to what officers and the public witness or experience at ground level, meaning that sometimes officers may hold back from taking certain actions in order to maintain or try to preserve public order and safety. Evidence is often gathered, and action taken once situations become less volatile, or after the event even, when it is safer for all.
“This weekend is going to be demanding enough for police officers, without the need for unfair or ill-informed criticism from the sidelines.
“I therefore implore the public attending events, marches and protests this weekend to be respectful and peaceful. And to politicians, please leave operational policing decisions to the police.”
‘Unacceptable’ for Braverman to ‘tamper with police independence’
It is unacceptable for Suella Braverman “to publicly attempt to tamper with the operational independence of policing”, the Police Federation has warned.
Steve Hartshorn, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, said operational policing decisions must remain independent of political interference.
“It is entirely reasonable that the Home Secretary might raise concerns with senior police leaders in private, it is unacceptable to publicly attempt to tamper with the operational independence of policing,” he said.
“Policing must be free of politics. Operational independence is a key pillar of UK policing and must be respected. Policing does not comment on political manoeuvrings, and we expect to be able to carry out our duties without political interference.”
Exclusive: Pressure on government to act to stop ‘cruel’ incarceration of autistic patients
The government must commit to funding social care and passing its long-delayed Mental Health Bill to prevent a repeat of failures that led to the “cruel and inhuman” treatment of an autistic man locked up for over 10 years, experts and MPs have warned.
In the wake of his story, the government has been condemned over his care and for failing to address the issues that have led to thousands of people with learning disabilities and autism being locked away in mental health hospitals for years.
Suella Braverman to survive as home secretary this weekend, report suggests
Rishi Sunak is not expected to sack Suella Braverman this weekend, with the prime minister likely to hold back from firing the home secretary while major war commemorations and several potential public order events take place this weekend, the i newspaper reports.
And BBC political correspondent Iain Watson tweeted that: “Downing St says the ‘ongoing internal process’ will continue in to how Suella Braverman’s Times article about police bias got published without No 10 approving the final text.”
NHS medics hold Downing Street vigil for colleagues in Gaza
Hundreds of medical professionals gathered outside Downing Street this evening to hold a vigil for medics killed in Gaza and to urge Rishi Sunak’s government to call for a ceasefire.
Demonstrators are holding placards with the names of those killed during Israel’s intense bombardment of the strip since 7 October, and will be holding a minute’s silence.
Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan, whose group Gaza Medic Voices publishes firsthand accounts from medical staff in Gaza told the BBC from Downing Street: “We have organised this vigil. We are a collective of healthcare professionals – nurses, doctors, surgeons, paramedics, physios – from every walk of the NHS and every walk of life within the NHS.
“We are congregating today because our unified message is that it is unacceptable for healthcare workers in Gaza to be attacked and be killed. We have lost almost 200 of our colleagues – our brothers, our friends, our sisters – in Gaza who work in the healthcare field.
“It is horrific and it is frankly unimagineable to work in those conditions … Enough is enough. A ceasefire needs to happen now. This is unacceptable. The situation is catastrophic. The healthcare system has collapsed.”
Senior Met officer refuses to comment on whether Braverman has undermined the force
The officer in charge of policing London during Saturday’s pro-Palestine protest has refused to comment on whether the home secretary’s comments about police bias has undermined the force.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “We’ve got a really difficult weekend this weekend, I’m not going to comment on politics.
“It’s not my place to comment on politics. We will police what we need to police with a robust policing pattern, recognising all of the concerns in our communities and for people coming to London over the weekend, so that we can keep them safe.”
Senior Met officer responds to Braverman ‘favourites’ comments
The senior police officer in charge of policing London during Saturday’s pro-Palestine protest has responded to Suella Braverman’s claim in The Times a perception police “play favourites” towards pro-Palestinian protesters who are “largely ignored, even when clearly breaking the law”.
Asked if the home secretary’s comments were accurate, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “We’ve been really clear on our policing position this week.
“Our job is to ensure that we police without fear or favour, that we balance the rights of everybody – be that protesters, counter protesters, or people living or coming into London.
“And our job this weekend is to ensure that people are kept safe and that is what my focus is on.”
ICYMI: Jeremy Hunt refuses to back Suella Braverman’s comments on Met Police ‘bias’
Jeremy Hunt distanced himself from Suella Braverman’s comments accusing police of bias over a pro-Palestine protest due to take place on Armistice Day, Holly Patrick reports.
Rishi Sunak faces calls to sack the home secretary after she wrote an article accusing officers of playing favorites over the march.
Downing Street says it is investigating after its demands for changes to the piece were ignored.
“The words that she used are not words that I myself would have used,” the chancellor said on Friday.
“I have a productive relationship with her as a colleague and I have always given her the money that she needs to fund police.”
ICYMI: Ex-Natwest boss Alison Rose stripped of £7.6m over Nigel Farage debanking row
NatWest has stripped its former boss Dame Alison Rose of £7.6 million in payouts after she was forced to resign over the Nigel Farage debanking row.
Archie Mitchell reports:
