James Cleverly defends return of Suella Braverman to Home Office

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has defended the re-appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary just days after she was forced to quit the job.

Ms Braverman resigned last week after admitting two data breaches.

Labour said her return to cabinet undermined new PM Rishi Sunak’s pledge to have “integrity and accountability” in his government.

Mr Cleverly insisted Ms Braverman had shown integrity by apologising for breaking the rules.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said Mr Sunak had accepted her apology and chose to re-appoint her because she had “very, very recent” experience of the Home Office.

“Clearly the PM wants to make sure that the department can deliver from day one.”

The new cabinet is meeting ahead of Mr Sunak’s first Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons at noon.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper criticised the re-appointment accusing the prime minister of putting party before country “just a few hours into the job”.

The Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said it made “a mockery of Rishi Sunak’s claims to be bringing integrity to No 10”.

“A home secretary who broke the rules is not fit for a Home Office which keeps the rules,” he said.

The party is also calling for a Cabinet Office inquiry into her appointment.

Ms Braverman stepped down last week amid the final days of Liz Truss’s short-lived and chaotic premiership.

In her resignation letter, she admitted committing a “technical infringement” of ministerial rules by sending an official document to someone not authorised to receive it.

“I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign,” she wrote.

Her letter also hinted at disagreements with Ms Truss over immigration policy expressing concern that the government was not delivering on commitments to tackle illegal migration.

However, on his first day as prime minister Mr Sunak re-appointed Ms Braverman as home secretary.

It came three days after Ms Braverman had thrown her support behind him in the contest to replace Ms Truss, in what was widely seen as a significant endorsement by an influential MP on the right-wing of the Conservative party.

Asked if Ms Braverman had been given the job as a reward for supporting the new PM, Mr Cleverly said Mr Sunak had strong support from MPs in the contest adding: “I doubt he needed any particular individual endorsement.”