James Cleverly steps into Suella Braverman's shoes as Home Secretary amid furious Tory row over pro-Palestine protests, with Rwanda migrant decision looming

James Cleverly stepped into the Home Office hot seat vacated by Suella Braverman today as the Prime Minister tries to instill calm in the Conservative Party.

Mr Cleverly, the former foreign secretary, is very popular with the Tory grassroots and is seen as a safe pair of hands.

But the former Army reservist is going to need more than one pair of hands as he juggles multiple issues as Home Secretary. 

The 54-year-old will need to douse the flames of anger caused by Mrs Braverman's incendiary remarks about 'hate marches' and suggestions that people live rough on the streets as a 'lifestyle choice'. 

And on Wednesday the Supreme Court is expected to hand down its verdict on whether the UK's plan to send Channel boat migrants to Rwanda is lawful.

Mr Cleverly is a close ally of Rishi Sunak with less trenchant views on the European Convention on Human Rights than Mrs Braverman, who favours quitting the agreement if the court rules against the Government. 

Last month he said there was no need to leave the post-war convention, a move that would come with big repercussions for Northern Ireland.

Asked today if he wanted to distance himself from the language of his predecessor Suella Braverman, he told broadcasters: 'Well, I intend to do this job in the way I feel best protects the British people and our interests.

'I have had a very good conversation with the Prime Minister, who had made it very clear that he wants us to deliver on our promises to stop the boats, to protect the British people, make sure everybody feels secure in their lives.'

The sacking of Mrs Braverman comes after an extraordinary week of rowing over handling of pro-Palestinian protests in London on Armistice Day.

She drew the fury of No10 by lashing out at 'hate marches' and then penning an article accusing the police of bias without getting it cleared.

Critics have blamed her for inflaming violence with far-right counter-protesters taking to the streets - although the Tories are badly split with supporters saying the grim scenes in the capital proved her right.

Mr Cleverly is the MP for Braintree in Essex. His mother is from Sierra Leone. In 2019 he predicted the Tories would produce the first non-white Prime Minister – because Labour is run by 'old white men'.

In 2015, when a backbench MP, he admitted he had 'dabbled' in cannabis while at university and had watched online porn. 

He finds himself occupying a second of the great offices of state in little over a year.

The senior Conservative has shown loyalty to Mr Sunak since the Prime Minister decided to keep him on as foreign secretary when entering Downing Street just over a year ago.

Mr Cleverly, who has previously shown a desire to be prime minister, is an old ally of Boris Johnson and was a staunch backer of Liz Truss before her short-lived stint in No10. 

Ms Truss rewarded Mr Cleverly by making him foreign secretary, with Mr Sunak re-appointing him in October 2022.

During his time leading the Foreign Office, he has dealt with a series of international crises, often briefing the media recently on the situation in the Middle East as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage.

The 54-year-old visited China in August, becoming the first British foreign secretary to make the trip in five years - a move criticised by Tory MPs who want Mr Sunak's administration to take a more hawkish approach to relations with Beijing.

The MP for Braintree also played a central role in the evacuation of UK nationals from Sudan when fighting broke out between two separate factions in the central African country in spring 2023, while being one of the main UK Government spokesmen on the Ukraine conflict.

His new position of Home Secretary allows Mr Cleverly to tick-off another Cabinet post.

He briefly held the position of education secretary - making him the third person in that role in 48 hours - as Mr Johnson's premiership collapsed around him in July 2022.

He has also been co-chairman of the Conservative Party and held lower ranking ministerial positions in the Cabinet Office, Foreign Office and the defunct department for exiting the European Union.

According to his website, Mr Cleverly, the son of a midwife and a businessman, was born in Lewisham Hospital, where his mother worked, in south-east London.

He spent much of his childhood with family in Chelmsford, Essex, and joined the Army when he left school.

But his ambition hit the rocks when injury struck, and he returned to education to get a business degree.

He also signed up for the Territorial Army, where he has served for about 20 years.

Mr Cleverly, married to Susannah and a father of two, had a career in magazine and digital publishing, and says he worked on a number of 'market-leading titles' before setting up his own company.

He ventured into the world of politics, with an unsuccessful bid to serve on Lewisham council in 2002.

He also stood for the Lewisham East parliamentary seat in 2005, but lost out to Labour.

Mr Cleverly was elected to the London Assembly as the member for Bexley and Bromley in 2008 and later replaced Mr Johnson as chairman of the London Waste and Recycling Board.

In 2012, Mr Johnson, then mayor of London, made him chairman of the London Fire Authority.

Mr Cleverly stepped down from that role in 2015 after being selected to run for Parliament at the next general election, and secured his Braintree seat for the first time that year.

While serving as a Brexit minister, he joined the Tory leadership race to replace Theresa May in 2019.

But he later pulled out, saying his fellow MPs were not comfortable with the idea of picking a 'relatively new' colleague.

In his new role in the Home Office, he will help Mr Sunak tackle a priority in-tray, including dealing with the Supreme Court verdict this week on whether it is legal for the UK Government to deport migrants arriving via small boats to Rwanda.

The Prime Minister has regularly cited the Rwanda policy as one of the ways that could help deliver his pledge of stopping the boats from crossing the Channel ahead of the next election.

The new Home Secretary is also likely to be tasked with reviewing police powers to tackle disruptive protests following reports Mr Sunak is keen to make it easier for chiefs to ban marches and prosecute those glorifying terrorism - an accusation levelled at some of those attending pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Mr Cleverly has played his part on the world stage. He will now switch his attention to delivering on the Prime Minister's domestic priorities.