Tory chairman Greg Hands has insisted Suella Braverman is “doing a good job” as home secretary.
He mounted a strong defence of his cabinet colleague after being shown evidence of mounting public concerns over immigration.
On Sky News this morning, presenter Trevor Phillips showed Hands an opinion poll that showed 83% of voters think the government is handling the issue badly.
He said: “You need to do something, don’t you? Isn’t it time to put Suella Braverman out of her misery, reshuffle her to somewhere else?”
But Hands replied: “Not at all, not at all. She’s doing a very good job.”
Phillips then hit back: “83% don’t agree with you. The people have spoken.”
The Tory chairman insisted the government was “getting to grips with the job” and had introduced the Illegal Migration Bill, which is aimed at stopping small boats carrying asylum seekers across the Channel from France.
He added: “We are starting returns to Albania, we are getting to grips with this and Suella is right on top of it.”
His comments came just days after one of his predecessors as Tory chairman, Baroness Warsi, accused Braverman of using “racist rhetoric” and said she was not fit to be home secretary.
She said her “extreme views” meant she was “not fit for high office”.