In a surprising turn of events, Suella Braverman, the former British Home Secretary, announced her departure from the Conservative Party on January 26, 2026, joining Nigel Farage‘s Reform UK. Her decision to leave the party after more than 30 years is the latest culmination of a series of high-profile departures by Tory MPs that are testing the political future of the British right and the stability of the Conservative Party.
Braverman, who announced her decision at a Veterans For Reform event in London, received a warm welcome from reform supporters and former military personnel. With visible emotion, she declared, “I feel like I’ve come home,” and explained why she turned her back on the party for her entire political career. She said she was joining Reform UK because she strongly believed in a better future for Britain. “Today I am announcing that I am resigning my Conservative Party membership and parliamentary mandate after 30 years,” Braverman said, The Independent reports.
Braverman’s sharp criticism of the Tory party
Braverman’s move comes after a series of departures by prominent Tories, including Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell, who also joined Reform UK in January 2026. The party now has eight members in parliament, a significant increase for a party that has long been considered an outsider. Braverman, who has seen an “erosion of trust” in her party over the past two years, particularly on issues such as Brexit and immigration, sharply criticized the Conservatives. She accused them of betraying the country by failing to keep their promises on Brexit, immigration and taxes.
“Britain is suffering. It is doing badly,” Braverman said, repeating Reform UK’s central argument that the country is in crisis. She said the Conservatives had failed the people by abandoning their promises and burdening the country with “out-of-control immigration” and high taxes. “The Conservative Party has completely failed to do the right thing for the British people,” she added.
Braverman’s political journey has always been accompanied by controversy. She was elected as MP for Fareham and Waterlooville in 2015 and quickly rose through the Tories’ ranks. Her tenure as home secretary under Boris Johnson and under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak was marred by scandals, including her forced resignation under Truss over the use of her personal email address for official documents. She was later sacked by Sunak after she criticized the Metropolitan Police for its stance on pro-Palestinian protests.
At the event in London, Braverman made it clear that she was turning her back on the Conservative party because of her positions on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). She called the Tories’ pledge to leave the ECHR a “lie” as the party had no intention of following through on its tough rhetoric. Farage supported this stance, saying previous governments had been “completely useless” because they clung to the ECHR. “The government has failed but is now prepared to admit we got it wrong,” Farage said.
The conservative response was swift and personal. A party spokesman initially said it was only a matter of time before Braverman would part ways with the party. However, the party later withdrew a particularly personal remark in which it accused Braverman of being unhappy because of her mental health. Braverman called the comment “somewhat pathetic” and a sign of a party in free fall.
In Reform UK, Braverman’s entry was hailed as a huge success. Farage, who has been in talks with Braverman for more than a year, described her experience as an important asset to the party. “We need the experience of people who have been on the front line,” Farage said.
Braverman’s decision reflects a larger shift within the British right. Since the last general election, around 20 former Tory MPs have joined Reform UK. The party’s growing ranks are causing unrest within the Conservative ranks and fueling speculation about further defections. Braverman called on her former party colleagues in her constituency to join her, describing her split from the Tories as a “marriage dissolution” gradually broken down by a loss of trust and a lack of common direction.
Britain’s political trajectory could continue to change dramatically in the coming months as the right-wing side of politics continues to struggle for its identity and direction.
