"The fact that she continues to entertain Reform"
Senior Tories have turned on Suella Braverman over her overtures to Nigel Farage as the battle for the control of the Conservative Party deepens.
The ex-Home Secretary was labelled “not credible” after repeated overtures to Reform UK, urging it to join forces with the Tories and refusing to rule out defecting herself.
Lord Houchen said she was “not credible” and warned that if she became leader “we can absolutely see ourselves in opposition for generations to come”.
Leadership rival Kemi Badenoch reportedly suggested Ms Braverman was having a nervous breakdown in public – after she launched a Cabinet table attack on Rishi Sunak over his decision to call an election in July.
According to a YouGov poll, Ms Badenoch is the favourite to take over from Mr Sunak as Tory Party leader.
It came as Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly warned that the Conservatives needed to swiftly “get their act together”.
He wrote in The Times that the party needs to conduct a “sensible post mortem on what went wrong and finding the right path forwards”.
Suella Braverman is also believed to have lost the support of senior allies including her longtime associate Sir John Hayes, who is believed to be supporting ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
During the election campaign in June 2024, she told the Tories to embrace Nigel Farage as she called on the party to “unite the right”.
She opened the door for him to join the Conservative Party by saying she would welcome him.
But Lord Houchen said: “The fact that she continues to entertain Reform, and even I think in an interview the other day, didn’t rule out joining Reform, shows just how out of step she is.
“I also think if the Conservative Party decides to go down the route of somebody like Suella Braverman, then we can absolutely see ourselves in opposition for generations to come.
“The road of redemption for the Conservative Party can be as long or as short as we wish to make it.
“And the idea that we should be more right-wing… that is not the Conservative Party that I recognise.
“And I absolutely wouldn’t support that. She, before the leadership contest has even started, has shot herself in the foot.”
Right-wingers and more moderate Tories are expected to battle it out for leadership in a contest that could shape the party for years to come.
After Mr Sunak announced he would step down as party leader once the formal arrangements for choosing a successor were in place, Ms Badenoch slammed him, saying his decision not to inform Opposition frontbenchers before calling the July 4 election bordered on “unconstitutional”.
She also said his choice to return early from D-Day commemorations may have cost former Cabinet colleagues their seats.
Ms Badenoch, Ms Braverman and Mr Cleverly are expected to run for Tory leadership.
Dame Priti Patel Mr Jenrick and ex-Health Secretary Victoria Atkins could also put themselves forward.
However, former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled himself out of running.
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