Suella Braverman accused of fresh ministerial rules breach over undisclosed charity links to Rwanda

Suella Braverman has been accused of a fresh breach of the ministerial code for failing to declare years of previous work with Rwanda’s government, despite the Government’s asylum deal with the country.

SNP MP Joanna Cherry, chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, questioned whether the Home Secretary’s “rosy-eyed view” of Rwanda’s human rights record had “anything to do with her undisclosed links” to the East African nation’s government in Kigali.

She and her SNP frontbench colleague Kirsty Blackman said that Ms Braverman’s charity work in Rwanda should be included in any investigation into her alleged breaches of the ministerial code ordered by Rishi Sunak.

It added to the pressure on the Prime Minister to order an inquiry as he reportedly looks into emails in which officials raised concerns about Ms Braverman’s request for help last autumn to arrange a private speed awareness course for her, an alleged breach of the code.

MPs raised further concerns about the Home Secretary’s links to Rwanda during a Commons urgent question on the speed awareness course accusations.

It came after two former official standards chiefs told The Independent that Ms Braverman’s failure to disclose her co-founding with Cherie Blair of the Africa Justice Foundation, which trained Rwandan government lawyers between 2010, could be a breach of the ministerial code.

Sir Alistair Graham and Sir Alex Allan said Ms Braverman should have at least declared the work to senior Home Office officials given she has responsibility for the controversial policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The Independent reported that 19 of the lawyers trained by Ms Braverman’s charity now held positions in Paul Kagame’s Rwandan government and that some are involved in the Government’s £140m deal to send asylum seekers to the country.

Ms Cherry said: “I’ve been in correspondence with the Home Secretary about well evidenced human rights concerns in Rwanda and our committee’s concern about the plans to send asylum seekers there.

“The Home Secretary, I think it’s fair to say, seems to take a rather rosy-eyed view of Rwanda’s human rights record.

“Does the minister think this has got anything to do with her undisclosed links to the Rwandan government?

“And will he include that potential breach of the ministerial code in any inquiry?

Responding, Cabinet Office Minister Jeremy Quin said he “can’t really comment” as he had not read the article. But he added: “I understand it was something that the Home Secretary did with Cherie Blair and others some considerable time ago before, a charitable endeavour before she entered Parliament.

“But that’s just what I’ve got from the tweet.”

Ms Blackman, the SNP’s shadow spokeswoman for the Cabinet Office, also raised concerns about the charity, calling for an investigation “into all the alleged ministerial code breaches”.

She said: “This is a descending into absolute farce – instead of professionalism, accountability and integrity that the Prime Minister promised when he came into office, we are faced with calamity, chaos and corruption.”

She went on: “First, the request to organise a personal speed awareness course.

“And today the revelation that the Home Secretary did not disclose her extensive work with the Africa Justice Foundation, 19 alumni of which are now in senior positions in the Rwandan government.

“How can the Prime Minister continue to pretend that he’s presiding over a Government with anything other than their own personal interests at heart?”

A spokesperson for Ms Braverman told The Independent she had not disclosed her work with the Africa Justice Foundation because it was not necessary and had not discussed her former role publicly because it was “not relevant”, while denying her view that Rwanda is a “fundamentally safe and secure country” had been influenced by her links to it.

Mr Sunak spoke to his independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, and the Home Secretary on Monday as he considered his response to the allegations about the speed awareness course.

Sir Laurie cannot begin an investigation into a minister’s conduct without the authorisation of the Prime Minister.

But Tory former attorney general Sir Jeremy Wright questioned whether the arrangements need to change, noting that the Committee on Standards in Public Life when he was a member recommended that the adviser should be able to launch their own inquiries.

“It gives the benefit of a decision being taken at arm’s length from government,” he added.

Ms Braverman says she chose to pay the speeding fine maintains she has done “nothing untoward”.