No10 dares her: Publish your proof of secret deal’

DOWNING Street yesterday denied that Rishi Sunak had agreed a secret policy ‘deal’ with Suella Braverman – and dared her to publish proof of her claims.

In an explosive letter on Tuesday, the former Home Secretary said Mr Sunak had agreed a ‘document with clear terms’ in return for her support during the leadership election that followed the resignation of Liz Truss last year.

No 10 acknowledged that Mr Sunak held ‘policy discussions’ with Mrs Braverman before she backed him for the leadership, but denied the chats amounted to a ‘deal’. Daring her to publish proof of her claims, the PM’s press secretary suggested Mrs Braverman ‘might like to put that document in the public domain’.

The row came as Mrs Braverman’s angry three-page letter divided Tory MPs – with one accusing her of throwing a ‘hissy fit’.

Mrs Braverman was sacked by phone on Monday as the PM embarked on a wideranging Cabinet reshuffle.

In her letter to the PM she accused him of betrayal, saying he had broken a series of private pledges made to her. These included cutting legal immigration, which has instead been allowed to soar, passing legislation to prevent human rights laws impacting on efforts to stop the boats, delivering key Brexit legislation, which has been watered down, and issuing ‘unequivocal guidance’ to schools on trans rights, which has yet to appear.

An ally of Mrs Braverman hit back yesterday: ‘The Prime Minister took away his own copy of the agreement on October 21 last year after he agreed to it in a meeting with witnesses. So why doesn’t he reveal it to the public himself?’ While some MPs,

including Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, backed the former home secretary, others warned that triggering a new Tory civil war would hurt the party further.

And while fellow Right-winger Philip Davies told GB News he agreed with many of Mrs Braverman’s views, he said: ‘I think Suella has fallen victim, as some people do, which is when they get sacked, they can have a hissy fit about it and start thrashing around.’ Former Tory leader Lord Howard insisted: ‘I don’t think the party is turning on itself again. I think Suella Braverman will be forgotten.’