Doubts arise over Braverman’s claim to have come forward about code breach
Former intelligence select committee chief warns issue threatens to undermine confidence in sharing sensitive information
...
The account given by the home secretary and backed up by the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, when he defended reappointing her just six days after she was found to have broken the ministerial code were challenged by government insiders and a senior Conservative MP.
Sources told the Guardian that Braverman was confronted by the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, about the leaking of a sensitive document, rather than coming forward herself about what had happened. One said: “She only owned up to it when she was confronted with the evidence.”
This means that Sunak wasn't telling the truth at Prime Minister's Questions when he said Braverman "raised the matter" herself, and neither was Braverman when she made a similar claim. And there's been another leak about a leak, channelled again via Harry Cole:
On Thursday night the Sun reported that Braverman had leaked top secret plans to cut Britain’s deficit by £14bn with a new “growth visa”. A source told the paper: “Suella has tried to play down the scale of the cock-up but it was incendiary, market sensitive information.”
But as things stand, we can't rely on the Cabinet Secretary to do anything about it:
But some among the previously loyal Tory media seem to have it in for Braverman, and quite possibly Sunak, too.
First Edition
@FirstEdition
The Sun's Political Editor Harry Cole reveals that Liz Truss was furious with Suella Braverman because the Home Secretary was widely sharing top secret government plans to create a new growth visa to reduce the budget deficit by £14bn.
@tnewtondunn | @MrHarryCole | @TheSun
One theory doing the rounds is that Sunak had to buy the European Research Group lobby's votes by promising cabinet posts for some of its less salubrious darlings (e.g. Braverman and Coffey), wasn't happy about being saddled with Braverman (she's a handy deflector screen at the moment as he tries to settle in, but too hardline on UK immigration that's needed for economic reasons, as she supposedly battled with Truss about), but knew the dust hadn't settled yet about the circumstances of her resignation/sacking and more was going to come out that would mean he'd be rid of her.
I'm not sure if I buy that. It might explain the readiness of some of the Tory media to go after here so doggedly, but I don't think Sunak's a clever enough politician to come up with that sort of plan, not to mention that it's quite risky for him. There's always the chance that he's being coached by a shadowy, Machiavellian spad or whatever, though.
Hmm. Isn't Gove back in government ...?
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