UK Home Secretary Resigns After Mistakenly Sending Official Mail Via Personal Email Address

 

The United Kingdom’s Suella Braverman has resigned from her position as interior minister after just 43 days in the role. Former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will succeed her.

On Wednesday, Ms Braverman posted a resignation letter on Twitter where she said resigning was her “greatest regret”.

In the letter, Ms Braverman revealed that she had sent a draft ministerial statement that had not been published from her personal email to a parliamentary colleague to get support for her policy. This action, she said, “constitutes a technical infringement of the rules.”

“Earlier today, I sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration. This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules,” Ms Braverman wrote. “As you know, the document was a draft Written Ministerial Statement about migration, due for publication imminently. Much of it had already been briefed to MPs. Nevertheless it is right for me to go.”

Prime Minister Liz Truss accepted her resignation in a letter on the Downing Street website.

“I accept your resignation and respect the decision you have made. It is important that the Ministerial Code is upheld, and that Cabinet confidentiality is respected,” Ms Truss said.

Ms Braverman’s departure comes as Ms Truss faces intense pressure to resign amid chaos in the financial markets. Last week, Ms Truss fired her finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, as the nation tussles with a cost-of-living crisis driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.