Outrage over Tory claim Suella Braverman had mental health issues | Suella Braverman

Conservatives face backlash after claiming Suella Braverman sought refuge in Reformation England due to “mental health” problems; The former home secretary has finally joined Nigel Farage’s party after months of denials.

Braverman, who was sacked from cabinet by both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, became the third Conservative MP to leave office in less than a week. He immediately launched an attack against his former party.

At a press conference following his departure, Braverman said he had felt “politically homeless” for the past two years and that many of the Tory promises to the country, including Brexit and immigration, had “fallen to pieces”.

His critics were quick to point out that, as Brexit secretary, home secretary and attorney general of the Conservative Party, he played a key role in the success or failure of these policy areas.

But a bitter row broke out after his departure, with the Conservative Party issuing a statement saying the party had “done all we could to look after Suella’s mental health” but that he was “clearly very unhappy”.

The move sparked an angry response from across the political spectrum. The party later issued a corrected statement stating that the original lines were a “draft version” and “sent in error.”

The earlier statement also stated: “It was not a question of whether Suella would defect, but when he would leave. He says he feels he is ‘coming home’, which will come as a surprise to people who chose not to elect a Reform MP in his constituency in 2024.”

“There are some people who become MPs because they care about their communities and want to create a better country. There are also those who do it out of personal ambition.”

The statement, which cited Braverman’s mental health, sparked criticism from across the political spectrum. Former Conservative MP Nigel Evans said it was “an absolute disgrace”, while Immigration Minister Mike Tapp described it as “abstract politics”.

Braverman later addressed the statement, saying Badenoch had previously accused him of having a “breakdown”, adding: “It’s a bit pathetic. Like I said, it says more about them than about me.”

Asked when the Guardian last spoke to Badenoch, Braverman said it was during his leadership campaign. He claimed Badenoch apologized to him for allegedly throwing a nervous breakdown and asked him to vote for him.

Braverman, who has been an MP since 2015 and served as home secretary under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, was introduced before a Reform rally of veterans in central London. Later appearing before Farage at Reform HQ, he accused Tory leader Kemi Badenoch of sacking him as part of a “witch hunt against the right-wing”.

“If the party you join no longer reflects the values ​​and principles it once did, you need to question your commitment,” he said. “If the party continues to break its promises, you need to question your loyalty.”

Presenting Braverman outside the veterans rally, Farage told reporters after Braverman’s departure that they had been talking for at least a year. She said Braverman’s husband, who joined Reform UK some time ago, also played a role in the split. She said her husband had “rejoined” her.

He said his departure brought much-needed experience to Reformation England. Labor insiders pointed out that this meant there were now more members of Liz Truss’s cabinet in her senior team than in Kemi Badenoch’s.

Amid speculation that Braverman’s key allies and supporters might follow him, his Conservative colleague and former Cabinet Office minister posted a photo of himself campaigning with her in 2024 and wrote: “We’ve always seen things the same way.”

But others on the right of the Conservative Party have spoken out against the long-awaited departure of Braverman. Mark Francois, who was name-checked when he joined Reform England, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the departure of a self-described “spartan” friend who had hard-line stances on Brexit.

Farage has indicated he wants to recruit more Tories but has drawn the line against Tory MPs including Jeremy Hunt and right-winger Priti Patel.

“Look, I don’t welcome people like Priti Patel who say she’s done nothing wrong despite opening the doors to the greatest level of immigration Britain has ever seen. I don’t welcome Boris Johnson. I don’t know those who are part of the problem and I still refuse to accept that,” he told GB News.

At the same time, Farage has been pressed in other interviews to explain why last week’s planned announcement of a Labor defector did not materialize and claimed the party was in talks with Labor figures.

Echoing issues raised by Robert Jenrick when he defected earlier this month, Braverman told the rally that Britain was broken, before using his press conference with Farage later in the day to list what he saw as failures in a range of areas, including the treatment of veterans, immigration and the Conservative government’s giving of social passes to children in schools.

The secrecy surrounding Braverman’s defection was so great that Reform staff at the event were stunned by the activity earlier in the day.

The Fareham and Waterlooville MP follows Jenrick, who was shadow justice secretary and left on January 15, and Andrew Rosundall, who moved in a few days later. His move means Reform now has eight MPs.

The departure is likely to worry some in Reform, which has soon welcomed three former Tories who once had leadership ambitions in their former party. Braverman was sacked as home secretary by Truss and Sunak; the first time for sending official documents from a personal email to another Tory MP, the second time after he was accused of inciting far-right violence with his rhetoric.

reform figures briefing given In the past, neither Braverman nor Truss would have been welcome at the party.

While Braverman used his speech at the event to criticize previous Conservative governments, he said he would explain his reasons for leaving the Conservative Party later in the day. He revisited Sunak’s sacking when he was Home Secretary to raise concerns about the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on Britain’s ability to implement immigration policies.

“First he ignored me, then he kicked me out,” he said.

Farage is coming under increasing pressure over claims that Reform is turning into just another Conservative party and has been left undecided about whether Truss could join his party.

Reform’s press team told the Guardian last week that Truss would never join the party. Asked again on Monday about closing the gate, Farage replied: “I didn’t say that. I said it was unlikely.”

There are now more former Truss frontbenchers in his party than in Kemi Badenoch’s shadow cabinet.

Asked about Braverman’s previous statement that he was “completely pathetic” on immigration, he replied: “He was completely useless, like all of them. They were all completely useless because they were stuck with the ECHR. So he found himself in this weird situation.”

The worker seized the escape. Anna Turley, the party’s chief executive, said: “Nigel Farage is filling his party with failed Tories who are responsible for the chaos and decline that has held Britain back for 14 years. Suella Braverman helped fail Brexit and was sacked as home secretary.”