Feels like I’ve come home’: Indian-origin ex-minister Suella Braverman defects from Conservatives to Reform UK

Braverman defects from Conservatives to Reform

Former UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has officially left the Conservative Party and joined Reform UK, marking the latest high-profile Tory defection. She announced the move at a Reform UK rally in London, where she was introduced by party leader Nigel Farage.

Addressing supporters, particularly military veterans, Braverman said, “I feel like I’ve come home.” She confirmed she had resigned the Conservative whip and ended her 30-year membership of the party. Speaking passionately, she criticised the current Conservative leadership, declaring: “I’m calling time. I’m calling time on Tory betrayal. I’m calling time on Tory lies. I’m calling time on a party that keeps making promises with zero intention of keeping them.”

Her defection brings the number of sitting Reform UK MPs to eight, following recent departures from the Conservatives by Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell. Farage revealed Braverman’s move during the launch of a new Reform group for veterans.

Criticism of Britain’s current state

At the rally, Braverman outlined what she described as serious national challenges facing Britain. She said, “Britain is indeed broken. She is suffering. She is not well. Immigration is out of control. Our public services are on their knees. People don’t feel safe. Our youngsters are leaving the country for better futures elsewhere. We can’t even defend ourselves, and our nation stands weak and humiliated on the world stage.”

She urged citizens to choose between continuing a path of “managed decline” or reclaiming Britain’s strength: “We can either continue down this route of managed decline to weakness and surrender. Or we can fix our country, reclaim our power, rediscover our strength. I believe that a better Britain is possible.”

Braverman’s political career

Braverman has represented Fareham and Waterlooville in Hampshire since 2015. She served as Attorney General under Boris Johnson before briefly becoming Home Secretary under Liz Truss in September 2022. She resigned a month later after sending an official document to a colleague via her personal email.

When Rishi Sunak became prime minister, he reappointed her six days later, but she was later removed from office following an article in which she accused the Metropolitan Police of bias in policing pro-Palestinian protests. Despite these setbacks, she remained a prominent figure on the right of the Conservative Party.

Personal background

Born in London in 1980 to parents who emigrated from Kenya and Mauritius, Braverman identifies as British Asian. Her mother is of Hindu Tamil Mauritian descent, and her father of Goan Catholic ancestry. She grew up in a middle-class household, attended independent schools, and studied law at Queen’s College, Cambridge. She is married to Rael Braverman, a lawyer, and the couple has three children.

Reaction from the Conservative Party

The Conservative Party described her departure as “always a matter of when, not if,” noting that Braverman was clearly dissatisfied. A party spokesman said some MPs serve primarily for their communities, while others act out of personal ambition. They also noted that Braverman finished sixth in the 2022 Conservative leadership contest and did not secure enough support to stand again in 2024.

Reform UK and the future

Braverman praised Nigel Farage, saying: “There is only one man in British politics who has been courageously consistent for his country, and that man is Nigel Farage.” She now joins Reform UK at a time when the party is actively recruiting former Conservative MPs, aiming to expand its influence in Parliament.

At the veterans’ event, she stressed her vision for a revitalised Britain, vowing to use her political experience to push for policies she believes will restore the country’s strength and security.