London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Mar 09, 2026

Suella Braverman quits and vote chaos add to turmoil for the PM

Suella Braverman quits and vote chaos add to turmoil for the PM

A chaotic day in Parliament has left Liz Truss's survival even more uncertain after the sudden resignation of her home secretary and angry scenes during a fracking vote in the Commons.

Opposition MPs alleged some Tories had been bullied and manhandled into voting with the government on fracking.

A minister denied the claim, but many Tory MPs ended the day feeling angry and let down by their own party.

One Conservative MP Charles Walker said the situation was a "shambles".

Visibly furious, he told the BBC: "I've really not seen anything like tonight", adding that there was "no coming back" for the government.

Later he added: "I expect the prime minister to resign very soon because she's not up to her job."

Downing Street had started Wednesday believing the prime minister was on a more solid footing after the appointment of Jeremy Hunt as chancellor - and his decision to reverse much of Ms Truss's mini-Budget - appeared to have calmed the markets.

She also survived Prime Minister's Questions - the weekly question session with MPs - relatively unscathed.

However, things began to unravel for Ms Truss shortly after.

The prime minister was forced to hastily cancel a visit to an electronics manufacturer in order to have a meeting with her then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman after she broke government data rules.

The BBC has been told Ms Braverman breached the ministerial code by sending a government document to someone not authorised to receive it.

In her resignation letter, Ms Braverman acknowledged there had been "a technical infringement of the rules", adding: "I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility: I resign."

However, she also took an angry swipe at the government by accusing it of breaking "key pledges" and failing to reduce immigration numbers.

Her departure makes Ms Braverman the shortest-serving home secretary since World War II - and comes less than a week after the resignation of Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor.

Grant Shapps - who Ms Truss had sacked as Transport Secretary six weeks ago - became the new home secretary.

Shortly after Mr Shapps arrived at the Home Office to start his new job, chaotic scenes began to play out in the Commons, where MPs were voting on fracking.

Labour had tabled a vote which, if passed, would give MPs a say on the government's plans to bring back fracking.

Many Conservatives have spoken out against bringing back fracking but they were told that the vote was being regarded as a vote of confidence in the prime minister and government.

This meant that if they did not side with the government they could be kicked out of the parliamentary party.

Labour MP Chris Bryant claimed some Conservative MPs had been physically manhandled in the voting lobbies to make sure they supported the government.

And a Labour shadow minister, Anna McMorrin, wrote on Twitter that she witnessed one Conservative MP "in tears being manhandled" in the voting lobby in Parliament.

However, Conservative, Alex Stafford, hit back at claims he had been manhandled saying there had simply been a "frank and robust conversation" about his opposition to fracking.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg also said he wouldn't characterise the events as bullying.

The fallout from the vote led to speculation that Chief Whip Wendy Morton - who is in charge of party discipline - and her deputy Craig Whittaker had left their posts.

Rumours were fuelled by government silence on the issue and at one point, Mr Rees-Mogg told Sky News he was "not entirely clear" about the situation.

However, after a few hours, it emerged that both Ms Morton and Mr Whittaker were remaining in post.

Earlier in the day, it was revealed that one of Ms Truss's most senior advisers has been suspended amid a formal investigation by the Propriety and Ethics Team, which is responsible for standards across government.

It followed some anger from Conservative backbench MPs about briefings to newspapers from No 10 sources over the weekend - including disparaging remarks about former Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Former Brexit minister Lord David Frost - once an ally of Ms Truss - has written a piece in the Daily Telegraph calling on the prime minister to go.

He argued that she was "implementing neither the programme Liz Truss originally advocated nor the 2019 manifesto", adding: "There is no shred of a mandate for this. It's only happening because the Truss government messed things up more badly than anyone could have imagined.. something has to give".


WATCH: 'That looked like bullying to me' - Chris Bryant

WATCH: 'I've had enough of talentless people' - Charles Walker


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Declines UK Offer to Deploy Aircraft Carriers to Middle East Amid Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Return to Australia After Seven Years for Philanthropic and Business Engagements
UK Government Signals Independence From Washington as Cooper Says Britain Does Not Agree With Trump on Every Issue
UK Experts Warn AI Chatbots Are Fueling Surge in Claims of Organised ‘Satanic’ Ritual Abuse
UK Political Parties Divided Over Strategy as Iran Conflict Reshapes Foreign Policy Debate
Britain Discloses Secret Military Repair Hubs Operating Inside Ukraine
Trump Says US No Longer Needs UK Carrier Support After Delayed Offer Amid Iran Conflict
Why Britain Has Become Involved in the US-Israel Military Campaign Against Iran
UK Gas Storage Falls to Under Two Days as Iran Conflict Jolts Global Energy Markets
UK Warned to Brace for Economic Shock as Iran War Drives Global Energy Price Surge
Starmer and Trump Hold First Call After Public Dispute Over Iran Conflict
UK Dentists Returned £1.3 Billion to Government as Shift Toward Private Care Accelerates
Expert Warns UK Must Build Emergency Food Stockpiles to Prepare for Climate Shocks or War
UK Plans Charter Flight to Evacuate British Nationals from Gulf as Regional Conflict Disrupts Air Travel
Families of Zimbabwe’s Liberation Fighters Call on Britain to Help Locate Skulls Taken During Colonial War
Iran’s Ambassador Warns Britain to ‘Be Very Careful’ Over Deeper Role in Expanding Middle East War
UK Military Leadership Defends Britain’s Defensive Role in Expanding Middle East Conflict
Four U.S. Strategic Bombers Arrive in Britain as Iran War Intensifies
Soham Murderer Ian Huntley Dies After Violent Attack in High-Security Prison
UK Lawmakers and Experts Condemn Scale of Overseas Human Remains Held in British Museums
Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales Placed on Standby for Potential Deployment
United Kingdom Confirms U.S. Military Using British Bases for Operations Targeting Iranian Missile Sites
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
×