DISMAY is growing within the Tory Party and beyond at the far-right antics and pronouncements of Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

There is speculation that Ms Braverman is positioning herself for a post-election Conservative leadership contest in which her authoritarian demagogy may play well with the party’s aged and intolerant membership base.

In recent days, she has described pro-Palestinian solidarity demonstrations as “hate marches” and urged the police to ban them, while also claiming that homelessness is a “lifestyle choice.”