Conservative MP Lee Anderson claimed that only the “gutter media” and the Labour Party were “agitated” about Suella Braverman’s return to cabinet.
Braverman is the current home secretary, but she was sacked last Wednesday following a security breach. She later admitted to leaking official documents.
But, six days later, new prime minister Rishi Sunak has brought her back into the home office, so Labour and the Liberal Democrats are now calling for a Cabinet Office inquiry.
However, backbencher Anderson did not seem concerned.
Speaking to TalkTV’s Mike Graham, he said: “I’ve been hearing this Suella stuff over the past 24 hours.
“Look, the only people that are a bit agitated over what’s happened over the past week with Suella are some parts of the – as I’d describe them – gutter media at the Guardian and BBC, some of the lefties, and the Labour Party.
“Nobody else is talking about it. No one else gives a chuff, really.”
During his first speech as prime minister, Sunak vowed on Tuesday to run his government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability” – but his opponents have since suggested reappointing Braverman undermines this message.
Graham replied: “No – and I’ve heard there might an urgent question this afternoon from Labour because they’re obviously trying to say that by virtue of picking her, and putting her back in, that somehow Rishi Sunak’s integrity...”
Anderson jumped in and said: “Let me interrupt there – look, this is the Labour Party.
“They keep coming up with these silly urgent questions.
“This is the same Labour Party, moaning about our home secretary, this is the same Labour Party who wanted Diane Abbott as home secretary. She couldn’t even tell you what a policeman earned.”
Abbott was shadow home secretary under former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In a 2017 interview with LBC, she become flustered when asked about how much her party’s plan to recruit 10,000 new police officers would cost.
Her response ranged from between £300,000 and £80 million.
At the time, Anderson was actually a member of the Labour Party. He defected to the Tories in 2018.