As Israel-Hamas war flares, chaos grips Britain with Braverman sacked

 Suella Braverman has been sacked from her role as the United Kingdom’s home secretary after she called pro-Palestinian protesters “hate marchers”, adding to a sense of chaos in Britain as war flares in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed the populist politician on Monday, after days of speculation over her future.

The hard-right Conservative has never hidden her disdain for Britain’s supporters of the besieged people of Gaza. Her sacking is understood to be linked to her article in The Times last week, in which she accused the police of being tougher on far-right activists than pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Sunak’s office did not approve the final text of the article, which The Times itself has described as “inflammatory”.

In previous weeks, she had also told police that waving a Palestinian flag could become a crime – which also saw her accused of meddling.

“Historically, governments in the UK, like others across the world, have used moments of crisis to launch attacks on all of our civil liberties – often starting with those who are already marginalised,” the British civil rights group Liberty said at the time.

“Worryingly, it is happening again now – and it should concern all of us.”

Braverman’s dismissal – and the surprise return of ex-Prime Minister David Cameron to politics – are being mocked by observers as signs of a government in crisis.

Cameron, premier between 2010 and 2016, now holds the role of foreign secretary after James Cleverly replaced Braverman.

While the government is in a state of flux as Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle gathers pace on Monday, tensions between communities are rising, and rights groups are raising the alarm about a possible crackdown on free expression.