Suella Braverman Defects From Conservatives To Reform UK
Former home secretary Suella Braverman resigned the Conservative whip and joined Reform UK, raising Reform's Commons tally to eight MPs.
The GuardianFormer home secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK
BBC NewsEx-Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK
Associated PressBritain's Conservative Party loses another high-profile lawmaker to hard-right Reform
BBC NewsSuella Braverman: Another big beast defection shows momentum is with Reform
NewsmaxBritain's Conservative Party Loses Another High-profile Lawmaker to Hard-right Reform
Overview
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned the Conservative whip and her 30-year party membership and joined Reform UK at a London rally on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, boosting Reform to eight MPs, Nigel Farage announced.
The move is the third sitting Conservative defection to Reform UK in 11 days after Robert Jenrick's Jan. 15, 2025, switch and Andrew Rosindell's subsequent departure, a pattern strategists say could reshape the right ahead of May local elections.
A Conservative spokesman said it was "always a matter of when, not if" Braverman would defect, while Labour chair Anna Turley said in a statement that Nigel Farage was "stuffing his party full of the failed Tories," party spokespeople confirmed.
Braverman, first elected in 2015 and formerly attorney general, was sacked as home secretary in Nov. 2023 after public critiques of migration and policing, records show; Reform now holds eight of 650 Commons seats while the Conservatives hold 116.
Nigel Farage said he had been talking to Braverman "just over a year," and Reform officials indicated they may recruit more Conservatives, with analysts warning further defections could affect May elections and prompt political realignments.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Braverman’s defection as a shift toward the hard right by highlighting her anti-immigration stance, controversial remarks, and ties to Nigel Farage. Through labels ("hard-right"), selective emphasis on inflammatory quotes, and contextual details about protests and her sacking, the coverage stresses risk and controversy over policy specifics.