Suella Braverman Joins Reform UK, Quits Conservatives

Suella Braverman, the British-Indian former Home Secretary and one of the most recognisable figures on the Conservative Party’s right wing, has officially defected to Reform UK, marking one of the most significant political shifts in recent British parliamentary history.

The announcement that Suella Braverman joins Reform UK was made at a packed rally of Reform supporters in London, where party leader Nigel Farage introduced her as the latest high-profile Conservative MP to cross the floor. Addressing the crowd, Braverman confirmed she had resigned her Conservative Party membership of 30 years and would immediately sit in Parliament as a Reform UK MP.

“I feel like I’ve come home,” she told supporters, drawing loud applause. “Today, it’s over. Thirty years of party membership is gone.”

Suella Braverman: A Blow to the Conservatives, a Boost for Reform

Braverman’s defection increases the number of sitting Reform UK MPs to eight, following recent departures from the Conservatives by Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell. The move deepens the pressure on the Conservative leadership and underlines Reform UK’s growing appeal among disaffected Tory MPs and voters.

Speaking at the veterans’ event where she made her announcement, Braverman launched a scathing attack on her former party, accusing it of failing to honour its commitments to the public.

“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,” she said.

“Britain Is Broken”

As Suella Braverman joins Reform UK, she positioned her decision as part of a broader call for national renewal. In a wide-ranging speech, she argued that Britain faces a series of deep and interconnected crises.

“Britain is indeed broken,” she said. “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.”

Braverman also criticised what she described as Britain’s declining global standing and weakening defence posture.

“We can’t even defend ourselves, and our nation stands weak and humiliated on the world stage,” she warned. “We are at a crossroads. We can continue down a route of managed decline, or we can fix our country and rediscover our strength.”

Suella Braverman: Praise for Nigel Farage

A central theme of Braverman’s speech was her admiration for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whom she described as uniquely principled in British politics.

“There is only one man in British politics who has been courageously consistent for his country,” she said. “And that man is Nigel Farage.”

Farage, in turn, welcomed Braverman’s arrival as a major moment for the party, describing her as a serious political figure with ministerial experience who shared Reform UK’s vision on sovereignty, immigration, and national security.

Political Career

Before Suella Braverman joined Reform UK, she held some of the most senior legal and security roles in government. She served as Attorney General under Boris Johnson and was appointed Home Secretary by Liz Truss in September 2022. Her first stint in the role was cut short after she sent an official document using her personal email account, prompting her resignation.

However, Rishi Sunak re-appointed her just six days after becoming Prime Minister, and Braverman went on to become a powerful voice on the Conservative right. Her tenure ended the following year after she published an article accusing the Metropolitan Police of bias in its handling of pro-Palestinian protests in London, a move that led to her dismissal from the Cabinet.