"Concerns Over Current Government Direction" UK Home Secretary Abruptly Resigns

"Message Sent to Prime Minister Truss"
Will the Cabinet Resign One After Another?

Suella Braverman, UK Home Secretary. (Photo by CNBC)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Suella Braverman, the UK Home Secretary, abruptly resigned just 43 days after taking office. With the failure of key economic policies pushing the government to the brink, the resignation of a key cabinet minister is expected to intensify calls for Prime Minister Liz Truss to step down.

On the 19th (local time), major foreign media outlets including The Guardian reported that Braverman, who led the UK's immigration policy, submitted her resignation letter that day.

In the 'resignation letter to the Prime Minister' shared on her Twitter account, Braverman stated, "I take responsibility for my mistakes and resign," adding, "I sent official documents from my personal email."

She wrote, "We are going through turbulent times, and I am concerned about the current government's direction," strongly expressing her worries and criticisms toward Prime Minister Truss.

The resignation letter submitted by Braverman was accepted within an hour. Prime Minister Truss said, "Thank you for your service as Home Secretary," and "I respect your decision and accept your resignation."

Prime Minister Liz Truss of the United Kingdom. (Photo by Politico)

Braverman, who ran against Prime Minister Truss in the Conservative Party leadership race, handled Brexit affairs for three years starting in 2018 and served as Secretary of State for Justice from 2020 to 2022.

US-based CNBC reported that Braverman's resignation letter could be read as an attack sending a message to the embattled Prime Minister Truss.

In her resignation letter, Braverman wrote, "Acting as if we have made no mistakes, acting as if no one sees the mistakes we have made, and hoping things will magically work out is not serious politics. I made mistakes. I take responsibility and resign."

Grant Shapps, former Transport Secretary and a leading critic of Prime Minister Truss, will succeed Braverman.

Shapps criticized Truss's tax cut plan, saying, "The abolition of the top income tax rate obstructed voters in an unsustainable way," representing one of the Conservative Party voices critical of Truss's tax cuts, CNBC reported.

Major UK media noted that Braverman is the second minister to resign from the Truss cabinet, which has been in office for only six weeks, and attention is focused on whether the Home Secretary's resignation will lead to a wave of resignations among Truss cabinet ministers.

Previously, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, embroiled in the 'Party Gate' scandal, resigned after former Chancellor Rishi Sunak submitted his resignation and the cabinet faced a wave of resignations.

Prime Minister Truss, who took office on September 6 last month, announced a massive tax cut plan worth ?45 billion but faced criticism as the policy went against the global economic situation, causing significant turmoil in financial markets.

Subsequently, Truss admitted the failure of the tax cut plan, apologized to the public, and dismissed Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, but even the ruling Conservative Party strongly opposed her, continuing to pressure her to resign.

According to a YouGov poll conducted on the 17th with 1,772 respondents, 77% said they do not support the Conservative-led cabinet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.