Suella Braverman, the twice-sacked former home secretary, has defected to Reform UK, appearing as a surprise guest at a party rally in London. The event, ostensibly focused on veterans’ affairs, saw Braverman declare she had 'come home' to a cheering crowd. Her defection was widely anticipated, with a Conservative spokesperson noting it was 'always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect'.
Reform UK now has eight MPs, four of whom were elected as Conservatives. Among them are three with top-level government experience: Danny Kruger, Robert Jenrick, and Braverman. However, the influx of former Tories carries risks, as Labour MPs have argued that voting Reform merely offers a 'Tory replay' led by misfits or electoral rejects.
Nigel Farage, Reform's leader, has previously set a 7 May deadline for party-switchers to avoid a gradual trickle of defections. Braverman brings significant baggage, having been sacked as home secretary twice—once for using a personal email to send sensitive documents, and again for writing an unauthorised newspaper article that exacerbated tensions over policing of protests.
A 'well placed insider' within Reform briefed the Daily Mail last July that Braverman was 'not a team player' and 'too disruptive' to be welcome. Farage denied ruling her out personally but acknowledged others might have done so. The defection benefits Braverman personally, given her lack of advancement under Kemi Badenoch, but poses a gamble for Reform as it seeks to expand its appeal beyond its core 20% support.
