Rishi Sunak has stood by his decision to re-appoint Suella Braverman as home secretary, despite calls for an investigation into security breaches she committed.
Ms Braverman resigned from the role seven days ago, having breached the ministerial code by sending secure information from her private email, and left with scathing remarks about Liz Truss’s government.
But she was hired back by the new prime minister yesterday as he chose a number of familiar faces to make up his cabinet.
Asked by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at his first Prime Minister’s Questions whether it was right the home secretary quit last week, Mr Sunak said he accepted she had “made an error of judgement”.
But the prime minister added: “[Ms Braverman] recognised that, she raised the matter and she accepted her mistake.
“And that’s why I was delighted to welcome her back into a united cabinet that brings experience and stability to the heart of government.”
Sir Keir pushed the PM on the issue about rehiring the home secretary, saying he was “so weak he’s done a grubby deal trading national security” to secure her support in the latest Tory leadership race – which is thought to have brought a number of Tory MPs on the right with her.
Politics live updates: Sunak under pressure over Braverman appointment
And he asked whether officials had raised concerns about bringing Mrs Braverman back, saying: “I ran the Crown Prosecution Service for five years. I worked with home secretaries to take on terrorists and serious organised crime.
“And I know first-hand how important it is that we have a home secretary who’s integrity and professionalism is beyond question.”
But Mr Sunak did not answer, instead calling on the opposition leader to celebrate the increase in police officers tackling burglaries under the Conservatives, rather than “backing the lunatic protesting fringe”.
Ms Braverman has made a name for herself in parliament with her strong views on the so-called culture wars, recently attacking the “Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati” .
And she holds firm positions on policy, especially around cutting new migration and her unwavering support for the Rwanda deportation scheme.
Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has written to the Cabinet Office, calling for a full investigation into Ms Braverman’s activities in her previous stint as home secretary.
She said the public “has a right to know that there are proper secure information procedures in place to cover the person who has been given charge of our national security”.
The call has been echoed by the Liberal Democrats, saying Ms Braverman “must be sacked” if she “repeatedly broke the ministerial code and threatened national security”.
But both Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stood by the PM’s decision to reappoint her, with Mr Cleverly telling Sky News she had “very, very clear ideas” of what she wanted to do at the Home Office.