Suella Braverman accusing the Conservatives of betrayal as she defects to Reform UK

• Suella Braverman is a senior British politician and former Conservative Home Secretary. She has been a Tory MP for around 30 years and held high government office under recent Conservative administrations. 

• On Monday, Jan 26 2026, Braverman announced she was resigning from the Conservative Party and joining Reform UK, the right-wing party led by Nigel Farage. She will now sit in Parliament as a Reform MP, representing her constituency of Fareham and Waterlooville. 

In her own words at a public event in London, she said:

• She felt the Conservatives had broken their promises and betrayed their own principles. 

• Braverman criticised the party for failing on key issues such as immigration control, public safety, and national strength — saying “Britain is broken.” 

• She accused the Conservatives of telling lies and making promises “with zero intention of keeping them,” and declared that she had “come home” by joining Reform UK. 

• This is the latest in a string of Tory defections to Reform UK, following other Conservative MPs such as Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell, bringing the total number of Reform MPs to around eight. 

• Defections reflect deep internal divisions within the Conservative Party, particularly over its direction on immigration, Europe, and national identity. 

• Tories were criticised for an early statement linking Braverman’s defection to her mental health — a claim they later retracted, calling it an “error.” That remark drew public criticism from mental health advocates and politicians alike. 

• Opposition parties, including Labour and the Liberal Democrats, have seized on the movement of high-profile Conservatives to Reform as evidence of the Conservatives’ instability and strategic weakness.