London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jan 26, 2026

No 10 backs Suella Braverman after MI5 leak report

No 10 backs Suella Braverman after MI5 leak report

No 10 has said Suella Braverman has "strong relationships" with the security services, following concerns about her return as home secretary.

Reports have emerged suggesting that, as attorney general, she was investigated over the leak of a story involving MI5.

Ms Braverman was reappointed as home secretary just days after she resigned over separate data breaches.

Several Conservative MPs have raised questions about her reappointment.

Mark Pritchard - a former member of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee - said in a tweet: "MI5 need to have confidence in the home secretary, whoever that might be.

"It's a vital relationship of trust, key to the UK's security and democratic oversight of MI5. Any breakdown in that relationship is bad for the security service and the government. It needs to be sorted asap."

Asked whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believed MI5 had confidence in Ms Braverman, his official spokesperson said: "Yes, the home secretary continues to have strong relationships with all the operational bodies that report into the Home Office and are focused very much on keeping the country safe."

Asked if Mr Sunak was concerned security analysts might be reluctant to share information with the Home Office, the official said: "No, and any suggestion of that would be entirely false."

In January, the Daily Telegraph reported that Ms Braverman was seeking an injunction to block a BBC story about a spy working for British intelligence.

The briefing received by the newspaper damaged the government's argument that publishing details of the court case could harm national security.

Mr Justice Chamberlain said it would be a "matter of concern" if Ms Braverman was seeking to hold part of the hearing in private while, at the same time, the government was briefing the press.

The senior judge said he had been provided with no evidence to undermine the inference that a government source was responsible for briefing the paper.

The High Court later ruled the BBC could publish the story, though an injunction still bars the corporation from identifying the man.

An inquiry was launched to find out who had leaked confidential details of the court case to the Telegraph.

The High Court permits publication of the fact there was a leak inquiry, but the government has so far refused to comment.

The Cabinet Office has not responded to the BBC's questions about the leak inquiry including whether or not Ms Braverman was questioned, if the police were involved, or if anyone was arrested or questioned under caution. The attorney general's office also did not respond to queries.

Labour is calling for a probe into the reports in the Daily Mail that Ms Braverman was investigated over the leak.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "The prime minister needs to say whether he knew about these allegations when he reappointed her. Ignoring warnings about security risks when appointing a home secretary is highly irresponsible and dangerous. We need answers now."

Raising the matter in the House of Lords, former Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett told peers the security and intelligence services could be reluctant to brief the home secretary and that other international security agencies would be reluctant to share information with the UK "if they're fearful that information will be passed out from government itself".

Separately, opposition parties and some Tory MPs have also questioned Ms Braverman's reappointment as home secretary after she admitted sending an official document to someone not authorised to receive it.

She stepped down from her cabinet position last week in the final days of Liz Truss's premiership.

In her resignation letter, she admitted committing a "technical infringement" of the rules.

"I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign," she wrote.

However, just six days later Mr Sunak reappointed Ms Braverman as home secretary.

It came two days after Ms Braverman had thrown her support behind him in the contest to replace Ms Truss, in what was widely seen as a significant endorsement by an influential figure on the right of the Conservative Party.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the new prime minister of giving Ms Braverman a job in exchange for her support.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for inquiries into Ms Braverman's appointment.

Caroline Nokes - Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North - agreed there should be an inquiry, saying their were "big questions" hanging over the issue.

"To be frank I would like to see them cleared up so that the home secretary can get on with her job," she told BBC Radio Solent.

Jake Berry - who served as party chairman under Ms Truss but was fired by Mr Sunak - has also questioned Ms Braverman's return to the cabinet, saying there had been "multiple breaches" of the rules.

He told Talk TV that Ms Braverman had sent a document "from a private email address to another MP, she then sought to copy in that individual's wife but accidentally sent it to a staffer in Parliament".

"To me, that seems to be a really serious breach - the cabinet secretary had his say at the time. I doubt he has changed his mind in the last six days," he added.

A No 10 spokesperson has denied reports that Cabinet Secretary Simon Case - the head of the civil service - was "livid" about the appointment.

New party chairman Nadhim Zahawi defended Ms Braverman's reappointment, telling the BBC he believed in "redemption".

"The prime minister looked at this case and he decided to give her a second chance," he added.

The BBC has been told that the home secretary has requested further briefings on email security.


The SNP's Ian Blackford says new PM Sunak did a "sleazy backroom deal" with Braverman to gain post


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
×