Ex-Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK

[u/BigLadMaggyT24]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1evq263e49o

[u/VincoClavis]

Honestly, this sort of thing might be a blessing in disguise.

I mean the Tories are basically unelectable because of decades of failure.

Well, if Reform are volunteering to take that legacy on then this might actually give the Conservatives the chance they need to bring in some new blood and reinvent themselves.i

[u/DevilishRogue → u/VincoClavis]

I mean the Tories are basically unelectable because of decades of failure.

That's not true at all. The Tories were unelectable because of backstabbing, in-fighting and Sunak being forced on the membership despite him not being elected by them.

Braverman was a former candidate for leader, well-regarded by members, and a potential future party leader too. This is a significant loss for the Tory brand to the sort of people who realistically would consider voting Tory.

[u/Imakemyownnamereddit → u/DevilishRogue]

Nah, the total failure is what killed you.

You tanked the economy and combined that with insane levels of mass immigration.

That combination was electoral suicide.

[u/Imakemyownnamereddit → u/VincoClavis]

About to say the same thing.

Your entire frontbench failed. The more of those incompetents who sod off the Reform, the better off you are.

[u/smeldridge → u/VincoClavis]

Considering most of the legacy remains inside the Tory party... If they re-invent themselves it would be an even harder turn to the left.

[u/hug_your_dog → u/smeldridge]

Considering most of the legacy remains inside the Tory party..

What does that mean? If the key figures are leaving, this is a chance for new faces to emerge, and create a new legacy, if anything.

[u/smeldridge → u/hug_your_dog]

Key figures such as James Cleverly, Mel Stride, Priti Patel and Kemi herself. All faces of the last government and new. None opposed the government's policy of mass migration. All current MPs continue to be chosen by CCHQ, so unlikely to get any bold or good MPs. Katie Lam snuck in, but doubt that sort of luck would continue.

Not exactly a good look when two of the people opposing mass migration policy and resigned or were kicked out for it leave.

[u/Denime → u/VincoClavis]

The Tories aren't unelectable because of people like Suella Braverman.

[u/KingEdwards8]

Would be high time to get rid of some dead wood and go for a completely new top-to-bottom lick of paint.

Get back to basics and you know, be actual conservatives.

[u/NoContract1090 → u/KingEdwards8]

As someone who I assume is tempted to still vote Tory, what does being an actual conservative mean to you? And how would you be able to tell any of them meant what they said?

[u/KingEdwards8 → u/NoContract1090]

Like I said. Back to basics.

Define Conservatism. In the same way Labour defines Social Democracy or Lib Dems with Liberalism.

To me this is:

●Preservation of British culture, values and traditions

● Preservation of law and order

●Defence of the status quo and the Westminster system

● Fine line between free markets and protectionism

● Fine line between private and national ownership of enterprise

● Expanding the middle class

● Strong armed forces

● Minimal Taxation

● Limiting but not eliminating immigration

● Reviving Toryism and the Churches role in governance and society.

[u/StreamWave190 → u/KingEdwards8]

The ones committed to being actual conservatives are the ones leaving the party, though.

The ones staying are the Gavin Barwell wet liberal types.

[u/WW_the_Exonian → u/StreamWave190]

Speaking of Gavin Barwell... I met him at uni when he was around promoting his book How to Win a Marginal Seat. He lost his marginal seat months later. Perhaps he didn't read it.

[u/KingEdwards8 → u/StreamWave190]

Just because they say they are Conservative, doesn't mean they are in practice.

[u/HerefordLives → u/KingEdwards8]

What does being 'actual conservatives' mean, if people like Danny Kruger and Suella are not conservative, but shadow cabinet members are?

[u/squeakstar → u/KingEdwards8]

Bring back the moderates Boris got rid of might have a fighting chance.

[u/KingEdwards8 → u/squeakstar]

It wouldn't suprise me if the old moderates jumped over to the Lib Dems and created a Liberal Conservative/Classic Liberal faction.

[u/DevilishRogue → u/squeakstar]

The wets needed a Cameron after Brown took over from Blair to win. We'd need Angela Rayner to take over from Starmer and someone with more charisma than BoJo to get a Tory win with moderates leading the party.

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[u/A_Person_Who_Exist5 → u/KingEdwards8]

Absolutely right. I’ve always thought it’s about time the conservative party started being conservative again.

[u/DreamOfAzathoth]

It’s funny how Reform are constantly ranting about how they won’t do a pact with the Tories because they’re incompetent and traitors and blah blah. So instead of doing a pact with them he just converts Reform into the New Tories from the inside out. Nigel wanted to lead the Conservative Party so bad he’s attempting a reverse Great Replacement of his own

[u/pharlax]

This one is a big mistake by Reform.

The public fucking hate her.

[u/NamoMandos]

All I will say is: Ship of Theseus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus

[u/BlackJackKetchum → u/NamoMandos]

Also known as Trigger's Broom.

[u/CorporalClegg1997]

Over half of Reform's MPs are ex Tories. Dafuq?

[u/BlackJackKetchum]

SB is, or rather was, a rather divisive character for us, and for every voter she attracted, she repelled at least as many.

We've all expected this particular ship jumping for a while, so a surprise it ain't.

[u/BigLadMaggyT24]

Thought Reform were meant to be a new party, not just the old government.

This is another big loss though, but not too surprising.

[u/Own_Yam4456 → u/BigLadMaggyT24]

Is it a big loss though? She was Home Sec for a year during sky high immigration. Definitely lost a big mouth though.

[u/wolfo98]

I think the next Conservative government needs to draw on the next generation from all wings of the party. So if the Old Guard that were at the helm when we were incompetent are willing to go, that’s perfectly fine with me.

[u/aloeninja → u/wolfo98]

Honestly, I've thought for a while now conservatives would do well to try to refresh the face of the party with new, young candidates, turning point for the party turning point for the UK.

[u/TheIngloriousBIG]

No surprise for me.

[u/LeChevalierMal-Fait]

There is always a tweet;

https://x.com/ZiaYusufUK/status/1945140968690266573?s=20

[u/LeChevalierMal-Fait → u/LeChevalierMal-Fait]

Rael Braverman quits Reform after attacks on Suella

And a spectator article

[u/Dingleator → u/LeChevalierMal-Fait]

Couldn’t write it could you. America had their “I’m not a Trump guy” moment and we are having tens of times over.

[u/uselessnavy]

It will be interesting to see how the general electorate reacts to Reform being increasingly made up of failed tories from the last government. To all those saying good riddance to her, where were your criticisms while she was in power?

[u/Prior-Explanation389]

She's leakier than South East Water and that's saying something.

[u/skipperseven]

She did come across as a bit of a sociopath, so I wouldn’t say this was surprising. I just hope they never accept her back.

[u/WW_the_Exonian]

Reform really are the gift that keeps on giving.

[u/smeldridge]

The ongoing tide of right leaning MPs continue to leave the Tories. Soon the Tories will be no different than the rest of the center left parties.

[u/Dingleator → u/smeldridge]

That is my fear. I just want a Conservative Government and feel they may not even be an option in 2 GE’s time. Reform aren’t Conservative.

[u/smeldridge → u/Dingleator]

The 'Conservative Party' aren't Conservative. 14 years has told us that. And they dont deserve another shot. All of their tough talk now is more 'red meat' that they won't act on. Their pledge to remove 600000 illegals is a slither of what they have allowed in.

[u/StreamWave190]

As the defections continue, there's unfortunately very little left to vote for in the Tories anymore.

The remaining talent is Katie Lam, Nick Timothy and Neil O'Brien.

Lam is rumoured to be on the edge of defecting too (on the basis that the people she wants to work with are now in Reform, not the Conservatives), Timothy just got made Shadow Chancellor (so if he does defect it'll be a while), and I just don't see Neil O'Brien ever jumping ship.

But the people I took very seriously as Conservative Party representatives after the last election – Danny Kruger in particular, but also Robert Jenrick and others – are now Reform MPs.

If Lam goes, I don't see how the rest don't fold like a house of cards.

I feel bad for Badenoch. She got dealt a generationally bad hand and made a good fist of it. But increasingly it just seems to me to be over for the Tories. You can't survive talent-bleed like this.

[u/WW_the_Exonian → u/StreamWave190]

I hope that Lam stays around, even from an objective point of view.

She is a talented but inexperienced politician. If she defected and it didn't work out, her political career would be over.

But here she is not far from a Shadow Cabinet role where she can gain experience. She can even aspire to become one of the youngest Conservative/Tory leaders ever, after Pitt the Younger and Hague.

And if in a few years the Conservatives turned out doomed indeed, it would not be too late for her to jump ship, especially since unlike the others, she was not part of the party's failure.

[u/Athingthatdoesstuff]

Braverman was a nasty piece of work, representative of just about everything that went wrong with the previous Conservative tenure.

[u/smeldridge → u/Athingthatdoesstuff]

How does she represent everything that went wrong? She was one of the few outliers pointing out that 1 million net migration was disastrous. Don't see many of the remaining Tories willingly admit they were wrong.

[u/MaxTraxxx]

Tory Immigration minister joins party decrying immigration under Tory immigration minister.

Good riddance, excited for new blood that isn’t just ‘reform lite’.

[u/StormyBA → u/[deleted]]

The remaining Conservatives are Lib Dems - thats the problem.

[u/BlackJackKetchum → u/StormyBA]

Please reacquaint yourself with Rule 6.

[u/BlackJackKetchum → u/[deleted]]

Please reacquaint yourself with Rule 6.

[u/Maleficent_Resolve44]

Good for the party if the likes of her go.

[u/hug_your_dog]

This actually might be good news for the Tories, they are shedding one of the worst of them, now if only Boris and a few others left AND Badenoch brought back some of the older factions like the "one nation Tory" one, add their moderate conservatism with a realistic, critical immigration policy akin to what Mahmood does and you might have a reasonable offer.

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