Suella Braverman joins Nigel Farage’s Reform UK

Suella Braverman has become the latest senior Conservative to defect to Reform UK, delivering another blow to the struggling Tory party.

The former home secretary joins Nigel Farage’s party just days after Robert Jenrick crossed the floor, accelerating a wave of high-profile Conservative departures.

Her move comes only two weeks after both Mr Jenrick and Nadhim Zahawi left the Tories, piling further pressure on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

Mrs Braverman is now the 27th current or former Conservative MP to defect to Reform, bringing the party’s total seats in the Commons to eight.

Reform is expected to present the defection as a major victory, especially after Mr Farage said he wanted more ministerial and policy experience within his party.

Unveiling Mrs Braverman at a press conference on January 26, Mr Farage said it was “about time” she defected, calling her someone who reached high Cabinet office.

Launching a fierce attack on her former colleagues, Mrs Braverman declared: “I’m calling time on Tory betrayal. I’m calling time on Tory lies.”

She added: “I’m calling time on a party that keeps making promises with zero intention of keeping them.”

She continued by painting a bleak picture of Britain, saying immigration was out of control and public services were on their knees.

“People don’t feel safe; our youngsters are leaving the country for better futures elsewhere,” she said.

Mrs Braverman also claimed Britain stood weak and humiliated globally, warning the nation faced a crossroads between decline and renewal.

“We can either continue down this route of managed decline, or we can fix our country and rediscover our strength,” she said.

After resigning her Conservative Party membership following 30 years, Mrs Braverman confirmed she would sit as a Reform MP immediately.

She suggested she would not trigger a by-election, meaning she will not seek a fresh mandate from her Fareham and Waterlooville constituents.

Mr Jenrick welcomed her on social media, writing: “Great to be on the same team again. Let’s take our country back.”

Mrs Braverman acknowledged local Conservatives may feel disappointed, saying she would explain her reasons fully later in the day.

She also praised Nigel Farage, claiming he was the only British politician who had been “courageously consistent” for his country.

She hailed him for “speaking the truth” while accusing the establishment of trying to silence him.

“He hasn’t backed down in the face of vicious onslaught and backlash,” she said.

Mrs Braverman added that when Mr Farage warned Britain was at breaking point due to immigration, he was smeared but later proven right.

She contrasted this with her experience under former prime minister Rishi Sunak, saying she pleaded to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

She said she was blocked by colleagues before eventually being sacked.

“What did the Conservative Party say? They said it was too divisive, too dangerous, and not the right time,” she explained.

She accused today’s Tory leadership of failing to act when they had power and a duty to serve the British people.

Mrs Braverman has served as MP for Fareham and Waterlooville since 2015 and was Home Secretary under Liz Truss and Mr Sunak.

She was first fired by Ms Truss after breaching the ministerial code by sharing an official document from her personal email.

After backing Mr Sunak’s leadership bid, she returned as home secretary but later defied him through a controversial newspaper article.

In that article, she accused the Metropolitan Police of bias over protest policing in London.

She claimed there was a “double standard” between Right-wing demonstrations and pro-Palestine marches, despite Downing Street urging restraint.

Her defection follows Mr Jenrick’s exit after he was sacked as justice secretary by Mrs Badenoch.

When she learned he planned to defect, Mrs Badenoch removed him from the party hours before Reform unveiled him.

She later said she was “cleaning out the rubbish,” accusing Mr Jenrick of disloyalty and calling him a habitual liar.

Days later, Andrew Rosindell also crossed the floor, protesting the Conservatives’ handling of the Chagos Islands deal.

Mr Farage has warned potential defectors that they face a hard deadline of May 7, the day of the upcoming local elections.

However, some Reform figures appear cautious about welcoming too many former Conservatives.

Following Mr Jenrick’s move, Reform policy chief Zia Yusuf said grassroots members would be prioritised over “failed former Tory MPs” during candidate selections.

Mrs Braverman’s defection now intensifies scrutiny on Kemi Badenoch, as Reform continues to court senior Conservatives ahead of crucial local polls.

For many British Asians watching closely, the shifting political landscape signals growing instability within the Conservatives and rising ambition from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.