Suella Braverman row: Cabinet minster Grant Shapps ‘won’t make prediction’ on home secretary’s future | Politics News

A veteran cabinet minister has refused to say whether Suella Braverman will still be home secretary in a week’s time.

Asked about Ms Braverman on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that a “week is a long time in politics” – and that he would not be making any predictions.

The make-up of the cabinet is “entirely a matter for the prime minister”, he added.

Politics latest: Minister questioned on Braverman’s future after far-right violence

This lack of an endorsement followed calls from Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper for Rishi Sunak to sack the home secretary.

The controversy comes following yesterday’s unrest in London, when pro-Palestine protesters marched through London – as did counter-protesters.

There were dozens of arrests on both sides, and more are expected.

Ms Braverman has been accused of heightening tensions with an article she authored last week in The Times, which accused the Metropolitan Police of having double-standards on how it polices different protests based on political affiliation.

Downing Street is currently investigating how the article was published without edits they had wanted to be made.

There will be increasing pressure on Ms Braverman this week in the run-up to Wednesday, when a judgement is expected on the legality of the government’s Rwanda deportation scheme.

Asked about Ms Braverman’s future, Mr Shapps highlighted that he wanted to spend this weekend paying tribute to people “who have bravely given their lives”.

He seemed to play down the suggested impact Ms Braverman had on encouraging people to demonstrate – saying: “Those people who were going to come and try and disrupt this weekend had already said they were going to do it.

“They were doing it in their own twisted way because they were protesting themselves against other marches.”

Guto Harri, who was director of communications in Downing Street under Boris Johnson, pointed out to Trevor that “no cabinet colleague has come out and said she was making a valid point” on policing.

“So I think she is in trouble in that sense. And a week is a long time in politics,” he added.