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Suella's return poses ‘national security risk’

SUELLA BRAVERMAN’S shock return to the Cabinet could pose a “national security risk,” opposition parties have claimed as they demanded Rishi Sunak launch an official inquiry.

The new PM’s decision to reappoint Ms Braverman as Home Secretary just six days after she resigned due to a security breach has been met with fury by opposition parties and refugee rights groups over the politician’s extreme stance on immigration and asylum. 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Sunak at his first PMQs as Prime Minister on Wednesday of brokering a “grubby deal” with Ms Braverman to secure support for his premiership. 

“He’s so weak, he’s done a grubby deal trading national security because he was scared to lose another leadership election,” he blasted.

Both Labour and the Lib Dems have called for a Cabinet Office investigation into the security breaches that led to Ms Braverman’s resignation just last week. 

The Home Secretary has admitted that she breached the ministerial code after sending an official document to a Tory backbencher from her personal email. It’s reported she accidentally copied in an aide to another MP, who reported the breach.

Calling for an inquiry into the matter in a letter to the Cabinet Office on Wednesday, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper wrote: “Given the Prime Minister’s decision to reappoint her to the Cabinet post overseeing national security, it is vital for the public to have transparency on what occurred.

“[An investigation] must include the extent of the Home Secretary’s use of private email accounts to circulate government papers and the extent to which official documents have been sent outside government, as well as any other concerns that have been raised about possible serious information and security breaches by Suella Braverman.”

Mr Sunak defended his decision on Wednesday, claiming Ms Braverman has “accepted her mistake.” 

“That is why I was delighted to welcome her back into a united cabinet that brings experience and stability to the heart of government,” he told MPs during PMQs. 

But the POA union, which represents Border Force guards, said the reinstatement of Ms Braverman after she admitted to breaking the ministerial code “just shows how broken our political system is in this country.”

The Tory minister’s return to the Cabinet has also sparked alarm among migrant rights campaigners. 

Freedom from Torture director of policy and advocacy Steve Crawshaw said: “Braverman’s policies amped up the cruelty of this government’s anti-refugee rhetoric to eleven and it seems unlikely she will show any more humanity during her second stint as Home Secretary.

“This is an appeasement of the right wing of the party which will only cause problems for Sunak further down the line.”

During her previous six-week tenure as Home Secretary, Ms Braverman pledged to impose an asylum ban on people arriving via irregular routes to the UK, and said it was her “dream and obsession” to fly refugees to Rwanda. 

In a statement, Migrant Voice said it was “disappointed to see the Prime Minister committing to hard-line anti-migrant policies with the re-appointment of Home Secretary Suella Braverman.”

On Wednesday, Mr Sunak set out to reverse other decisions by Ms Truss, including reimposing the ban on fracking and a review of plans to introduce “investment zones” — low tax areas with relaxed planning and environmental regulations.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also delayed his Halloween budget to November 17, saying the move was needed to take into account the latest economic forecasts.

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