Zia Yusuf reacts as Suella Braverman denies responsibility for Afghan asylum scandal: ‘Should have resigned!’

Yusuf has been critical of the former Home Secretary following the revelation that thousands of people seeking to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return had been released.

The major error resulted in a top secret scheme, Operation Rubric, being launched, which cost the taxpayer an eyewatering £7bn.

Yusuf was quick to point the finger on X, saying “24,000 Afghans secretly granted asylum, costing British taxpayers up to £7bn”, he said.

“The government covered it up. Who was in government? Home Secretary: Suella Braverman. Immigration minister: Robert Jenrick.”

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Yusuf has continued his tirade, later reposting a tweet that read: “22 hours since Suella’s last post.”

Braverman has since responded in a statement denying any responsibility and arguing the court’s injunction resulted in her being prohibited from speaking publicly about the specific issue.

She said in 2023 “I opposed Ministry of Defence plans to bring in 24,000 Afghan nationals.

“The Home Office, during 2022 and 2023, was working to reduce the asylum backlog and reduce the number of asylum hotels that were being used as accommodation.

“Through meticulous work in 2022/23, we managed to shut down approximately 100 asylum hotels.”

Yusuf told Martin Daubney and Christopher Hope on GB News he has no sympathy for Braverman’s position and she should have taken a stand while in a position of power.

“I agreed with the vast majority of her statement. In terms of ministerial responsibility, I’m sorry, you are responsible as a minister”, she said.

“Let’s not forget, with all due respect to Suella, she did not resign as a matter of principle, she was sacked.

“The people in Cabinet, if you knew about this, you had ample opportunity to do something about it. She did not resign as a matter of principle.

“There are opportunities for people to act out of principle, she didn’t take it. This is one of the greatest political cover-ups and they knew it.

“This is about the entire Tory Party. This is arguably the final nail in the coffin. Democracy in itself is on the line in this party.”

Braverman’s husband, Rael, announced this morning he has resigned from the party following the onslaught from some Reform quarters.

Asked for his reaction, Yusuf said: “I met Rael a few times, he seems a perfectly reasonable guy and people are free to leave and join as they please.

“All we care about now is the interests of the British people and holding to account everybody who knew about this.”

Thousands of people are being relocated to the UK as part of the schemewhich was kept secret as the result of a superinjunction imposed in 2023 which was only lifted on Tuesday.

Sir Keir Starmer attacked the Tories at PMQs over the “major data breach” which saw details of almost 19,000 people seeking to flee Afghanistan released after the return of the Taliban.

Starmer said: “We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy and yesterday, the Defence Secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

“Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.”

He suggested the Conservatives should “welcome” scrutiny from the Commons Defence Committee.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “This episode raises significant constitutional issues.”