UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sacked Interior Minister Suella Braverman amid outrage over her last week's remarks about the police's handling of a pro-Palestinian march.
The Goan-origin minister published a harshly worded piece attacking the police's handling of a march that took place on Saturday, following which right-wing protesters took to London streets, putting Sunak under pressure to take action, according to Reuters.
In a major reshuffle in the ministry, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly replaced 43-year-old Braverman. Former British PM David Cameron who was seen walking into Downing Street amid the cabinet reshuffle, became the new British foriegn secretary.
Reports said that Braverman had violated the ministerial code for ignoring Sunak's approval before publishing the article. Her article targeted London's Met Police for having double standards and playing favourites by being soft on aggressive pro-Palestinian protesters.
Gavin Stephens, chairman of England's National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), stated, "In policing, we need the space to make difficult operational decisions in an independent manner. The decisions that we take are not easy ones, but we do so impartially, without fear or favour, and in line with both the law and our authorised professional practice.”
Thousands of protesters have been protesting in major UK cities, including London, over the past few weekends, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza conflict. Police have arrested several people as some splinter groups resorted to aggression, including racially motivated attacks and injuring officers on duty.
