Another one bites the dust. Suella Braverman this morning was unveiled as the latest defector to Reform UK. The former home secretary told 600 attendees at the launch of ‘Veterans for Reform’ that she finally felt she had ‘come home’ by switching parties. Beaming on stage, she declared passionately that, ‘I believe with my heart and soul that a better future is possible for us, I am joining Reform UK.’
It certainly is striking how so many of the Tory right who bedevilled the dying days of Rishi Sunak’s government can now be found in Nigel Farage’s self-proclaimed ‘people’s army’
She then gave a 20-minute speech in which she declared ‘I am declaring time on Tory lies’ and ridiculed the party’s pledge to quit the European Convention on Human Rights, saying ‘half of [its] MPs’ do not want to leave the convention. It ended with a veritable eulogy to Nigel Farage as ‘the only man with courage’ in British political life while the Reform leader stood on stage, basking in the approval. ‘It is the honour of my life to join your team today’ she said, proudly, before Farage gave her a hug and pledged to ‘remove the barriers’ preventing veterans from living their lives.
Braverman’s defection has been priced in for months by most Tories in Westminster. But Reform sought to amplify the impact factor by introducing the ex-home secretary at the end of a lengthy debate featuring former servicemen. ‘Veterans for Reform’ is a continuation of the party’s ongoing expansion with new outreach groups for students, farmers and lawyers. Much of what was said today was obvious red meat for the Reform base, after a few weeks in which some members feared they were becoming the Tories 2.0. In using the launch of ‘Veterans for Reform’ to unveil their new defector, Reform want the story to be as much about Tory failures in government as it is Reform becoming a recycled Conservative party.
The other interesting point is whether Braverman’s defection meaningfully shifts the balance of power within the Conservative party. Speaking after the announcement, one Reform source said: ‘The Tory right is collapsing. The sense of gravity in the party has moved decidedly leftward in the last few weeks – the momentum is all with Reform.’ (A Tory source hits back: ‘There’s nothing right wing about wanting to spend more on benefits, state control over private companies, cosying up to the militant trade unions and spending money we don’t have.’)
Still, it certainly is striking how so many of the Tory right which bedevilled the dying days of Rishi Sunak’s government can now be found in Nigel Farage’s self-proclaimed ‘people’s army.’ A month before November 2023, when Braverman was sacked as home secretary, the New Conservatives was launched by Danny Kruger. At that event, Sir John Hayes declared that, ‘The future belongs to us’. It proved to be the basis for the Rwanda rebellion three months later, when 11 Conservative MPs walked through the voting lobbies on a three-line whip to stop the legislation.
Fast forward two years and it appears the future does not belong to the Tories, but rather Reform UK. Half of the ‘Rwanda 11’ are now members of Reform. Will Hayes and others follow now too?
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