The returning Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who was forced to resign last week for a security breach, is ‘best equipped’ to control UK borders, Wokingham’s MP has said. 

John Redwood said the country needs a “strong-minded” lawyer in the position to “stop people-trafficking and the illegal small boats”. 

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Wokingham Clive Jones responded by suggesting that Mr Redwood’s comments were “as usual […] a little off the wall”. 

“What we need of a Home Secretary is someone who will ensure that the policies are in place to treat asylum seekers properly,” he added. 

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Britain’s third Prime Minister in less than two months, Rishi Sunak, said he was “delighted” to reappoint Ms Braverman as Home Secretary, just six days after she resigned from the same role having admitted breaking the ministerial code.  

Ms Braverman, who had only been in the role for six weeks at the time, was forced out of office for sending an official document from her personal email account to Tory backbencher John Hayes. 

In doing so, she accidentally copied in an aide to another MP, who sounded the alarm. 

Ms Braverman said she made a “mistake” which she conceded was a “technical infringement” of the rules.   

Mr Redwood asked whether those opposing the reinstatement of Ms Braverman “do not want her to control the borders” after claiming she is “best equipped” to do so. 

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This assertion was strongly rejected by Mr Jones who suggested that those opposing Ms Braverman’s appointment are doing so because she demonstrated “just six days ago” that she’s “not someone who should be holding one of the great offices of state”. 

“It is quite incredible, would she tolerate that of a senior or junior policeman, probably not. Again, it’s one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else,” he added. 

Since vowing to reduce the number of Chanel crossings during the 2019 general election, the Conservatives have resided over annual increases year on year – 8,500 in 2020, 28,500 in 2021 and 30,000 so far this year.  

Mr Jones said: “They haven’t dealt with the crossings; they keep talking about it. They use strong and aggressive language to say they are dealing with it, but they don’t.” 

The government’s current plan is to send migrants to Rwanda to have their asylum claims processed, which Ms Braverman described as her “dream and obsession” in leaked emails. 

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Former Prime Minster Liz Truss was “wrong” to accept Ms Braverman’s resignation in the first place as she has the “expertise and determination” to enforce her immigration strategy, according to Mr Redwood. 

To date, no one has been sent to Rwanda as the plan has been the subject of multiple legal challenges and last week the airline hired to transport asylum seekers to the African country, Privilege Style, pulled out of the scheme after pressure from campaigners. 

Mr Sunak is also a strong supporter of the plan. During the leadership contest he pledged to “do whatever it takes” to ship deportees to Rwanda. 

Mr Jones believes the Rwanda strategy “isn’t viable”.