Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK, declaring that joining Nigel Farage’s party “feels like I have come home.”
Ms Braverman was unveiled by Mr Farage at a Veterans for Reform event in London today, confirming months of speculation about her political future.
The former Cabinet minister, who served as Home Secretary under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, had long been regarded as a likely candidate to cross the floor. She sat on the right wing of the Conservative Party and had repeatedly urged the Tories to pursue an electoral pact with Reform.
Last year, Ms Braverman fuelled defection rumours when she appeared at a press conference alongside Reform deputy leader Richard Tice.
Her move comes just one week after Robert Jenrick, who served as her deputy at the Home Office, also abandoned the Conservatives to join Reform UK. The back-to-back defections represent a significant blow to the Tories and a major boost for Mr Farage’s party, which has now recruited two former Home Office ministers within days of each other.
Ms Braverman confirmed she would not trigger a by-election but would instead continue to represent her Havant and Waterlooville constituency in Hampshire under Reform’s banner.
The defection comes despite a rift earlier this year when her husband Rael left Reform after the party publicly criticised Ms Braverman’s record in government.
Ms Braverman was sacked as Home Secretary by Rishi Sunak in November 2023. Since leaving the Cabinet, she has been an increasingly vocal critic of the Conservative leadership and its direction.
Reform UK has been actively targeting disaffected Tory MPs and members following the Conservative Party’s defeat at the 2024 general election.
