Suella Braverman faces growing Tory backlash for ‘inflaming tensions’ with her hardline approach to pro-Palestine ‘hate marches’ and homelessness as her plan to ban tents for rough sleepers is left out of King’s speech

Suella Braverman is facing a growing Tory backlash over her tough rhetoric on Gaza protests and the homeless today, with a senior backbencher publicly accusing her of ‘inflaming’ community tensions.

Gloucester MP Richard Graham said that ‘tone matters’ as he attacked her high-profile interventions in recent days. 

The Home Secretary is under fire after referring to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London as ‘hate marches’ in a growing row over whether one should be allowed to take place on Armistice Day, November 11.

She is also facing pushback – including from fellow minister Alex Chalk today – for describing rough sleeping as a ‘lifestyle choice’ as she promoted plans to criminalise charities for providing tents.

The proposal reported by the FT, which Mrs Braverman confirmed on X on Saturday, was conspicuous in its absence from the King’s Speech this afternoon as the backlash grows. No10 refused to confirm that it would be introduced at a later date.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to repeat the remarks on Monday, as did Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho. 

In a tweet this morning Mr Graham, the PM’s trade envoy to Indonesia, Malaysia and the Phillipines, said: ‘Tone matters. It’s our duty to calm not inflame: to reduce, not increase, tensions. 

The Home Secretary is under fire after referring to pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London as ‘hate marches’ in a growing row over whether one should be allowed to take place on Armistice Day, November 11.

She is also facing pushback – including from fellow minister Alex Chalk today – for describing rough sleeping as a ‘lifestyle choice’ as she promoted plans to criminalise charities for providing tents.

Gloucester MP Richard Graham said that ‘tone matters’ as he attacked her high-profile interventions in recent days.

The proposal reported by the FT, which Mrs Braverman confirmed on X on Saturday, was conspicuous in its absence from the King’s Speech this afternoon as the backlash grows. No10 refused to confirm that it would be introduced at a later date.

‘The language of the Home Secretary whether on tents or on marches is unhelpful to cohesion in our communities and is not in my name: nor does it reflect how we tackle issues in Gloucester.’   

Dover Tory MP Natalie Elphicke also appeared to join in criticism of Mrs Braverman, who suggested that she wants to place restrictions on the use of tents on public streets.

It was reported over the weekend that the Cabinet minister has proposed establishing a civil offence to deter charities from giving tents to homeless people.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Home Secretary said the UK should not become San Francisco or Los Angeles, and warned against rough sleeping becoming a ‘lifestyle choice’.

People take part in a Peace March for Palestine in central Middlesbrough to show their support for the people of Palestine

Mr Chalk, pressed on the comments, told Sky News today he would take a ‘take a different approach’.

‘There’s often a very significant context, which will be mental health issues, substance abuse problems, relationship breakdown, loss of a job and so on. And so I do think that that needs to be weighed in the balance.’

He added: ‘We shouldn’t do anything which entrenches people’s rough sleeping. Because if you do that, effectively you’re condemning and consigning people to poorer health outcomes and I’m afraid, in some cases, even shorter life expectancy.

‘So to be kind you sometimes have to be robust and you sometimes have to be really quite firm.’

On Mrs Braverman’s language, he said: ‘I think she was writing on Twitter, and I actually had a chat with her about it. I don’t think she disagrees with anything that I’m saying now, namely that there is a context.’

Source: Read Full Article