Suella Braverman has resigned as home secretary after breaking security rules, but also hit out at the “direction” of Liz Truss’ government.
The shock announcement comes as a further blow to the prime minister who on Wednesday was battling to save her premiership.
Grant Shapps, who has been organising opposition to Truss’ leadership of the party, has been named as the new home secretary.
In her resignation letter, Braverman admitted sending an official government document from her personal phone. “I have made a mistake, I accept responsibility; I resign,” she said.
But on her way out the door she also attacked the “direction of this government”.
In a notably short letter accepting Braverman’s resignation, Truss said: “It is important that the ministerial code is upheld and that cabinet confidentiality is respected.”
Braverman, a former attorney general, only became home secretary on September 6 when Truss brought her in to replace Priti Patel.
She stood in the last Tory leadership campaign and attracted significant support from the Brexiteer right of the party before it fell in behind Truss.
In her resignation letter, Braverman admitted sending an “official document from my personal email”.
She acknowledged that constituted a “technical infringement of the rules”.
Braverman said “the business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes”
And it what will likely be read as a veiled criticism of Truss, she added: “Pretending we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see we have made them and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics.
Shapps was sacked as transport secretary by Truss after she reportedly told him there was “no room at the inn” for him after she became PM as he backed Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest.
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said the government was “falling apart at the seams”.
“To appoint and then sack both your home secretary and chancellor within six weeks is utter chaos,” she said.
“If they can’t even manage the basics they need to get out of the way and hand over to people who can.”
Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson, attacked the “carousel of Conservative chaos”.