A minister repeatedly refused to confirm this morning that the prime minister has confidence in the home secretary.
It comes after Downing Street yesterday insisted that the PM has “full confidence” in Suella Braverman.
Asked this morning to confirm if this was still the line, Robert Halfon said that Downing Street is “looking internally” into how the article, which was highly critical of the Metropolitan Police, was published.
According to reports, Number 10 asked for changes to the controversial Times op-ed. But they were not made.
In the article, Braverman accused the Metropolitan Police of bias and “playing favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters in London.
Halfon told Sky News: “The prime minister‘s focus is ensuring that the remembrance service goes ahead peacefully. That has to be the priority.”
He repeatedly refused to say if Rishi Sunak maintains confidence in Suella Braverman.
“There is an internal process going on in Downing Street to look at why that article is published”, he said.
He also said that it is “absolutely essential” that the operational independence of the Met Police is protected.
Among the Conservative MPs backing Suella Braverman this morning is Miriam Cates. “I think the home secretary has a view that is very mainstream in the rest of the UK”, she told the BBC.
She said she would “completely disagree” that Braverman was making matters worse with her commentary.
The deputy chair of the Conservative Party Lee Anderon has also defended Suella Braverman this morning.
He said the home secretary is “guilty of saying what most of us are thinking and saying”.
“Thank goodness we have a home secretary who refuses to be cancelled. She is using language used by every day people. Labour MPs would know this if they got out more”.
However, Nickie Aiken, the Conservative Party deputy chair and MP for the constituency that includes the Cenotaph, criticised Braverman’s comments.
“The police should never be involved in politics and politicians should never get involved in policing operations. The police must police without fear or favour and it is a very dangerous precedent to state otherwise”, she said.
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