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The HomeSec saga is now a test of Sunak’s authority – politicalbetting.com
The HomeSec saga is now a test of Sunak’s authority – politicalbetting.com
It is becoming harder to see how the Home Secretary survives in her position following the revelations about her efforts to avoid a speeding ticket.
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Does Richie Rich dare get rid of Cruella DeVil?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/andrew-marr-good-morning-britain-bbc-vladimir-putin-andrew-marr-show-b2030050.html
Important point: "faithless electors have never changed the outcome of an election, . . " And states have tightened up their laws to make that even less likely.
This is from the WSJ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR_myjOr0OU
https://news.sky.com/story/net-migration-the-history-of-turmoil-within-the-tories-since-camerons-tens-of-thousands-pledge-12882189
What was not trivia was a Lib Dem Secretary of State being convicted of committing criminal perjury back in the days of coalition, and also persuading his wife to do so to protect him, so the thread header for me smacks of false equivalence.
One Tory insider said: “The chief [whip] is at his wit’s end with Suella. She just thinks she can do what she wants."
@mrjamesob
She can, though. Events have proved that. Speaking at an event where Douglas Murray trivialises the Holocaust; expecting special treatment after being caught speeding; 'dreaming' of deporting genuine refugees; breaking the ministerial code & getting her job back 6 days later...
For all her toxicity I hope Sunak is smart enough not to sack Suella over this affair, that would allow her to wear her martyr label with pride.
He should have sacked her after her attendance and shameful racial dog-whistle speech at last week's Nuremberg Rally.
She'll stay, which will suit Starmer just fine. He really is a lucky General.
A friend informs me today at 2.30pm is Home Office questions, the timing couldn’t be worse for Suella.
I expect Labour will be putting down and being granted an urgent question straight after Home Office questions.
Suella will have to defend herself and not flee.
She better get her story straight.
Remarkable that he's still going.
Just one in ten under-50s think the Conservatives have a better plan after the prime minister scrapped targets for new homes and ruled out building on the green belt.
Last week Starmer told The Times he would give councils new powers to build in the green belt in order to boost the supply of new housing, accusing the government of killing “the aspiration of homeowning for a whole generation”.
Voters back Sir Keir Starmer over Rishi Sunak on housing after a clear divide opened up between Labour and the Conservatives over the issue of homebuilding.
Just one in ten under-50s think the Conservatives have a better plan after the prime minister scrapped targets for new homes and ruled out building on the green belt.
Last week Starmer told The Times he would give councils new powers to build in the green belt in order to boost the supply of new housing, accusing the government of killing “the aspiration of homeowning for a whole generation”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/voters-back-starmer-to-build-homes-after-sunak-scraps-targets-kfrhhvbcn
Is it indicative of an attitude held by most of the Tory elite of being above rules and due process? Yes
Is it damaging electorally? Yes
Is it a relevant story on pb? Yes
Trust me, you wouldn't want him as President.
What authority?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/adacf704-f7e5-11ed-bc7a-1444acf8fa38?shareToken=0edb4a4a9d4bfeff48d0a7abbb7f5e05
He managed to get his hooks into a lot of people: Dershowitz, Musk, Gates, etc.
Can’t say I know a great deal about him aside from seeing some conspiracy theories on Twitter.
Allies of Suella Braverman fear she is the victim of a smear campaign amid an increasingly acrimonious battle over her efforts to crack down on net migration.
The Home Secretary has been accused of asking civil servants to help organise a private driving awareness course as she sought to avoid incurring points on her licence after being caught speeding.
She is expected to face questions in the House of Commons about the matter on Monday.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/05/21/suella-braverman-smear-campaign-claims-speeding-fine/
One prick and it is gone forever.
'I am frank about myself in this book. I detail all my mistakes, the first on page 850.'
And he appointed them all himself...
Pretty conflicted on this - on one hand it has been approved by the voters in a referendum; on the other it seems straightforward tyranny of the majority & I don’t like there concept of banning people from standing in an election
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/16/us/oregon-legislators-boycott.html
And on @BBCBreakfast @Keir_Starmer calls for the PM to launch an investigation in to allegations that Suella Braverman asked civil servants to arrange a private speed awareness course. He says there are suggestions that her actions were 'inappropriate'
If she didn't fancy doing a speed awareness course, take the fine and the points. She can afford the small fine, and unless she was already on 9 points can afford 3 points on her license.
We all speed, even inadvertently. She got caught. Take the hit, quietly, no political issue. But no. Suella is more important than the little people. Why can't my civil servants make this go away? Don't they know who I am?
Is an interesting place to start.
Everyone always assumes that advice is of universal application. I'm unconvinced.
To me this is a story of ruling by nasty leaks, which seems to be a hallmark of the Sunak administration, and possibly one of (once again) civil servants trying to pick off a politician they don't like.
She asked the civil service and they said no. So she asked a spad
The idea that the beautiful people can have a private one is bad enough - you do the crime, you do the time and all that. But Braverman runs the police. She can't be seen to be abusing the system to get something the rest of us cannot. By which I mean you get done for speeding and see if you or me can have a private course.
https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1660064388471205888
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QL-4trWWa0
Maybe we should allow others to attend prison or pay fines at their convenience.
Piers Morgan wasn't offered one: https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1332052/Piers-Morgan-speeding-course-different-name-GMB-Good-Morning-Britain-news-latest-update
Celeb dancer Anton Wotzit wasn't offered one:
https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1437332/Anton-Du-Beke-Strictly-Come-Dancing-speed-awareness-course-packed-lunch-video-latest-news
"Mr Loophole" claims celebs get a one on one course, but clearly not all of them. So Braverman hears about a loophole to avoid public scrutiny and asks her civil servants to exploit it for her.
The way to avoid the political row wasn't "do you know who I am", it was take the points. If the news gets out then the politics was simple - "I was caught exceeding the speed limit, something I regret. I gladly accepted the punishment by the police". Story done. Move on.
Oh no. Not Braverman. Lets have the minister in charge of the police have the civil servants who administer the police help said minister in charge of the police avoid criminal justice. Remember that justice must not only be done, but be *seen" to be done.
If this is a clear breach of the ministerial code, which it seems to be, then Sunak ought to sack her.
He won’t, or if he does it will be as short as Holmes’s banishment in Sherlock.
Slavery and the Civil War still shape US culture to a remarkable extent.
How Abraham Lincoln Broke the Barrier Between Church and State
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/21/how-abraham-lincoln-broke-the-barrier-between-church-and-state-00097707
I think she was trying to avoid it getting out (someone may have recognised her, or the name and leaked to the press). Taking the points, as she did in the end, was a far better option to avoid the press.
And it would seem to make more sense to change the required level of quorum to a smaller number, rather than to ban legistlators.
If that's accurate, it's very strange that none of the news media seems to have picked up on it (including Sky in a fairly detailed report this morning). And even stranger that - if it's really the same company - they refused to do this for Braverman when her (taxpayer-funded) SPAD tried to arrange it with them.
Which should disqualify her from high office but (a) isn't news and (b) doesn't cause her to stand out from the crowd in the current state of government and politics.
...The Constitution now says missing 10 or more floor sessions “shall be deemed disorderly behavior and shall disqualify the member from holding office as a senator or representative for the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed.”
But left unclear is whether they can run for office as candidates...
Perhaps I'm hopelessly old-fashioned.
Whether a contract was agreed is quite another matter.
Interesting also that Freeman comments:
“My own view is that if you commit an offence of speeding or any offence, it’s a private matter and you should deal with it on a private basis and you shouldn’t be using tax-funded employees to help you out with that private problem."
Braverman is an accident waiting to happen and in an ideal world Sunak should not have appointed her to the cabinet, but ironically it was her backing for him that enabled his premiership
This present incident is frankly a nonsense being built upon by the media and her opponents and out of all proportion, but she is the architect of her own problems due to her very public failures culminating in a speech widely perceived as a leadership attempt and as such created even more issues for her
I support stopping the boats, not least as a way to prevent loss of lives at sea, but her language is provocative and acts negatively on her and the governments legitimate objective
Later this week the immigration figures are to be released and likely to be near 1 million, and if these numbers represent overseas students, Ukrainians, Afghanistan and Hong Kong immigrants, together with those on the government's visa schemes then I welcome it as should sensible conservatives including Hunt and others in the cabinet
If I was Sunak I would refer Braverman to his ethics advisor and hope that events unfold to ensures she will soon become an ex Home Secretary
(b) If you work in a branch of law enforcement and a Home Office official asks you to do something, are you going to treat that request equally to anyone else’s request?
[Edit: Am I winning? If so, I think I'll quit whi(l)st ahead and go and do some work. Laters.}
Like kjh i’ve been on one of these courses, and like him found it interesting. I suspect that if Braverman had gone on the course it would’ve been a nine days wonder, but a lot of people here would’ve said ‘good on her’ for doing it.
I think that she’s now got the worst of all possible worlds, as has Sunak.
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2023/05/17/d5ba5/1
Indeed the biggest share on that poll is for Neither which could even be for the ultra NIMBY Liberal Democrats and Greens or Independents