Suella Braverman has been sacked as home secretary, No 10 sources have confirmed, saying British prime minister Rishi Sunak asked her to leave the Government.
The Conservative Party said Mr Sunak is conducting a ministerial reshuffle as he "strengthens his team in Government to deliver long-term decisions for a brighter future."
But sacking one of the leading figures on the Tory right could pose difficulties for the Prime Minister as he seeks to get his party united behind him and ready for a general election expected next year.
Ms Braverman had accused police of “playing favourites” with pro-Palestinian protesters in a newspaper opinion article.
She was also accused of “deliberately stoking division” by using Northern Ireland as a point of comparison to characterise pro-Palestinian demonstrations planned for the UK as “hate marches”.
Read More
- Call for Suella Braverman to be sacked as Orange Order seeks clarification over Northern Ireland 'hate marches' comparison
- Suella Braverman: A timeline of controversies
Armed forces minister James Heappey said he does not "know what is going on" as he was told during a live broadcast interview about Suella Braverman being removed as home secretary during a Cabinet reshuffle by Rishi Sunak.
Mr Heappey told ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB) he had not received any confirmation of that development and that "you know more of what is going on than I do".
Asked whether the decision came as a surprise to him, he said: "The Prime Minister makes these decisions and I've said I would not have used the words that the Home Secretary used in her opinion piece last week."
Asked whether he felt Mrs Braverman had done a good job as home secretary, Mr Heappey replied: "The Home Office is an incredibly demanding brief within which there are a number of issues which are very politically contentious and where, frankly, there is no obviously right answer.
"And in that sense it takes a politician who is courageous and has the confidence in their convictions to do the job well and there are lots of things that Suella Braverman as home secretary has done well.
"I've made no secret in the course of this interview with my disagreement with some of the words she used in her piece (last) week. Your viewers will be enjoying my discomfort but it is in this case difficult to offer commentary when I just don't know what is going on."
