November 1, 2022 11.57 am This story is over 26 months old

Suella Braverman-gate: Lincolnshire MP’s job advert for new assistant to monitor emails

The candidate may have to look out for emails from Suella Braverman

By Local Democracy Reporter

South Holland & The Deepings MP Sir John Hayes has posted a job advert for a new parliamentary assistant, with duties including email monitoring, not long after he found himself at the centre of an email fiasco that initially cost Home Secretary Suella Braverman her job.

The Lincolnshire MP is a close friend of the Home Secretary, and he was the intended recipient of an email that would dominate headlines across the nation in October, when Suella Braverman reportedly sent documents on the government’s immigration policy to Sir John Hayes from her personal email address.

She also accidentally sent the email to a member of the communications team for Brigg & Goole MP Andrew Percy, who apparently notified the then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton of the breach.

Braverman lost her job over this security breach, resigning from Liz Truss’ government just days before Truss herself stood down as Prime Minister.

However, as Rishi Sunak was announced as the new PM, he recalled Suella Braverman to the Home Secretary role less than a week after he resignation – defending his decision by saying Braverman had recognised her “error of judgement” and accepted the mistake.

Just days after this scandal broke, a job advert has now been placed for a new Parliamentary Assistant for Sir John Hayes MP, with duties including the management of his email inbox and diary.

The candidate will also be asked to organise the Common Sense Group of MPs – which is says was established to “champion cultural conservatism”.

It is unclear if the role will be alongside Sir John Hayes’ wife Susan, who was reported last year to be the MP’s part-time administrative manager as part of a rule loophole, or if this new assistant will in fact replace her.

There have been tongue-in-cheek suggestions that this role will consist of aiding the Home Secretary on immigration policy, after it was reported that Suella Braverman regularly consults Sir John Hayes on her decisions within government.

Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley and Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, couldnt resist taking to social media to poke fun at the situation – stating she will now be sending her questions for Braverman to Hayes’ wife.

This came after the Home Secretary did not attend a recent Prime Minister’s Questions inside the House of Commons, as she sought a resolution to the email breach.

The Home Secretary has since admitted to using her personal email address for official business six times between September 6 and October 10, as she claimed it was so she could read documents while taking work video calls.


MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.