Two former Conservatives who defected to Reform UK earlier this year are facing questions after it emerged that the suspect in the Belfast attack entered the United Kingdom while they were in charge of immigration policy. Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, reportedly entered the country via the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2023. According to the Home Office, he was granted refugee status that same year and has leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
Key Figures Under Scrutiny
Suella Braverman served as Home Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from October 2022 to November 2023, while Robert Jenrick was immigration minister for roughly the same period. Both defected to Reform UK in January and now sit as MPs for Nigel Farage's party. They also hold roles as party spokespeople for specific policy areas, with Jenrick serving as Treasury spokesman.
Braverman's Defense
Speaking to GB News, Braverman claimed she was powerless to implement changes despite being in control of the British immigration system at the time. She stated: 'As Home Secretary I repeatedly argued to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet that we needed to leave the ECHR to stop the invasion. For this, I was attacked, blocked and undermined by my own Conservative colleagues who have consistently refused to apologise for the failures of the last government. The failure to stop the boats and leave the ECHR remains the Greatest Betrayal by the last Conservative government and it is why over 90% of asylum claims are approved. It is the main reason I left that dysfunctional and treacherous party and why the Conservative Party can never be trusted again.'
Jenrick's Response
Jenrick has yet to respond directly but wrote on Facebook that Reform would ban visas for anyone coming to the UK from Sudan. He said: 'The only reason to have immigration is if it makes British people safer and richer. Clearly migration from Sudan is doing the opposite.' A post on his X account addressing the 'truly barbaric footage' from Belfast received a community note highlighting his past role in the Conservative government, stating: 'In 2023, Suella Braverman (Home Secretary) and Robert Jenrick (Immigration Minister) gave the alleged attacker leave to remain and refugee status.'
Criticism from Political Rivals
Critics, including Rupert Lowe, the former Reform MP who now leads the hard-right party Restore Britain, have drawn hundreds of thousands of views on X posts drawing attention to the pair's links to the immigration decisions. Reform UK has been approached for comment.
