Rishi Sunak is under pressure to sack Suella Braverman after she defied Downing Street by publishing an article accusing police of bias over protests in support of Palestine.
Her claim that there is a perception some senior officers “play favourites”, only the latest inflammatory comment by the Home Secretary in recent days, has prompted frustration and unease among Conservative MPs and sparked calls for the Prime Minister to sack her after she failed to get Number 10 to sign off the Times piece.
Downing Street was still investigating on Thursday night the “details” about how the article, which also contained a widely-criticised comparison between “pro-Palestinian mobs” and marches in Northern Ireland, was still sent for publication.
Sunak is facing opposition calls to remove the Home Secretary, who claimed the protesters are “largely ignored” by officers “even when clearly breaking the law”.
It is understood that the article was submitted to Downing Street, but did not get signed off as significant alterations were requested. The piece was published nonetheless.
Labour mocked the Prime Minister as “spineless” and argued that the move by Mrs Braverman amounts to a breach of the ministerial code.
Even some Conservative MPs believe that Mrs Braverman, never shy about causing controversy, has this time overstepped the mark.
Senior Tory Sir Bob Neill conceded that her position was “untenable”, telling LBC: “I think she’s gone over the line.”
While satirical news reporter Jonathan Pie was at his most animated yet as he covered the events outside Westminster:
Related: Suella sack games: Top Tories tell Sunak to ‘give her what she wants’