Former home secretary Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK, becoming the third sitting Conservative MP to join Nigel Farage's party in just over a week. The move immediately triggered a bitter row after the Tories issued a controversial statement suggesting her defection was linked to “mental health” issues, which they later withdrew as a “draft version” sent in error.
At a press conference, Braverman said she had felt “politically homeless” for the last two years and accused her former party of breaking promises on Brexit and immigration. Critics, however, noted her own ministerial roles in those areas. The original Conservative statement also claimed the party had done “all we could to look after Suella’s mental health”, lines that provoked condemnation from across the political spectrum.
Former Conservative MP Nigel Evans called the statement an “absolute disgrace”, while immigration minister Mike Tapp described it as “gutter politics”. Braverman later accused party leader Kemi Badenoch of previously alleging she had had a “breakdown”, adding that the incident “says more about them than it does me”.
Braverman, who was sacked by both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, appeared alongside Farage at a Reform rally in central London. Farage said they had been in talks for at least a year, and that Braverman's husband Rael had also rejoined the party. Farage noted that more former Truss cabinet members are now in his top team than in Badenoch's.
While some right-wing Tories, such as Lord David Frost, expressed support, others like Mark Francois said they were “deeply disappointed”. Farage indicated he would not welcome MPs like Priti Patel or Jeremy Hunt into Reform UK.
