"What good is Suella Braverman?" Home Secretary nowhere to be found as migration hits record high

Sign up for our free email at Brexit and beyond for the latest headlines on what Brexit means for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest newsPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI want to be notified by email about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Suella Braverman has been accused of 'hiding' after net migration hit a record high of 606,000, with an estimated 1.2 million arriving to live in the UK United in 2022.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday fueled accusations that the government has 'lost control' of migration despite the 2019 manifesto pledge to drive down the overall figures.

Despite migration being one of the Home Secretary's key policy areas, Ms Braverman did not comment on the figures or answer an urgent question about the immigration to the House of Commons. what is the interest” of Ms. Braverman. She said, “Where is the Home Secretary, who is in charge of these policies?

“She went to the ground. There are reports that she is not even going to do the media, she has not come to this house, she is in internal meetings presumably more private lessons organized by the civil service. What's the point?"

The record immigration figures come after days of intense pressure on the Home Secretary after she was charged with two breaches of the Cabinet Code.

And they come as Rishi Sunak's government grapples with an extraordinary row over former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's WhatsApp messages, with the official Covid inquiry threatening legal action over his refusal to share details.

Frustrated Tory MPs say The Independent Mr Sunak has had to rein in ‘damaging’ scandals that threaten to derail his efforts to regain credibility and win upcoming general election.

A senior Tory official said Ms Braverman was 'acting as a shield' for Mr Sunak who was there to 'bear the pain' when Number 10 had to blame the Home Office for any future immigration failures.

The former minister said many colleagues were still angry at Ms Braverman for 'freelancing' on government policy during the recent right-wing national conservatism conference.

But a former Tory minister has urged Mr Sunak to get rid of Ms Braverman now. “She is already a handicap. Rishi was generous with her, but she is damaged now."

Another Tory ex-minister said there would be "other...