The rumour mill has entered overdrive this weekend, with some sources suggesting that Suella Braverman is weighing up a dramatic defection from the Conservative Party to Reform. However, such a move would have far-reaching consequences.
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Will Suella Braverman join Reform?
It’s worth noting that, after reports emerged of a possible party-switch for the former Home Secretary, Braverman has rejected these claims. But, as we saw with Lee Anderson earlier this year, those who jump the Tory ship are usually coy about their intentions.
The whispers have been doing the rounds over the last 48 hours, after internal party polling show just how unpopular Suella finds herself amongst her colleagues. It’s understood that she would struggle to rally enough support to even get onto the leadership ballot.
Kemi Badenoch, Priti Patel, and Tom Tugdenhat are among the favourites to replace Rishi Sunak as the Conservative’s leader. They have already canvassed to secure substantial backing in the race. Suella Braverman, however, has so far failed to do the same.
Poor polling numbers could push senior Tory towards a major defection
It’s believed her inability to take charge of the party could lead to a defection ‘later in the year’, if not in the immediate-to-short-term future. However, the suggestion of her switching from centre-right to far-right has irked a number of observers.
Just two weeks ago, constituents of Fareham and Waterlooville voted convincingly to return their Conservative MP to office. Braverman finished 6,000 votes and 13 percentage points clear of the Labour candidate, and fetched almost double of what Reform totalled.
Swapping her current party for one that finished fourth in the local vote would certainly leave a sour taste. That’s why many are demanding a by-election for this seat, should Braverman go ahead and defect. Nick Lowes, of Hope Not Hate, says this would be ‘the decent thing to do’:
“This is happening just two weeks after Suella Braverman, a Conservative Party candidate, was elected as the MP for Fareham and Waterlooville. Therefore, [if she defects] she should do the decent thing, resign, and then call a by-election.” | Nick Lowes