Suella Braverman has gone too far – we must protect the rule of law

Editorial: There is no doubt that the home secretary’s removal from the front bench would be very much in the national interest

(Dave Brown)

Not for the first time in recent years, Britain finds itself in uncharted political territory. Suella Braverman is the first home secretary in living memory, and quite possibly ever, to interfere in the operational independence of the police and accuse a force of “playing favourites” by marshalling political protests.

Even Priti Patel, during the particular circumstances of the pandemic and the Sarah Everard vigil, backed the police. Things do go wrong with processions and protests, but the role of a home secretary is to support the police in their (sometimes impossible) work, and not to second-guess how things should be run on the ground.

But Ms Braverman is different – and not in a good way. Although she didn’t say it explicitly, she has expressed a lack of confidence in the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, and his officers. She wants the pro-Palestinian march on Saturday to be banned – for her own reasons, influenced by politics – and she is not interested in the judgements of Sir Mark about the impartial application of the law.