The return of Suella Braverman is Rishi Sunak’s first mistake

It looks as if he put the politics of a secret deal for the support of a tiny block of ideological MPs above the needs of the country, writes John Rentoul

It will be Braverman’s appointment that will define this cabinet (Reuters)

Bringing back the bane of the tofu-eating wokerati, Suella Braverman, as home secretary looks like a high price for Rishi Sunak to have paid in the negotiations behind closed doors that decided the Conservative leadership contest.

Braverman’s support for Sunak – along with the support of her fellow European Research Group leader, Steve Baker – helped to force Boris Johnson out of the contest, but it looks as if it was bought by the promise of a return to the Home Office.

This can mean nothing but trouble for what was supposed to be a return to low-temperature politics, the return of pragmatism after a flirtation with a dogmatic belief system. Braverman was a thorn in the side of her fellow right-winger Liz Truss; imagine how helpful she is going to be to a centrist such as Sunak.