Suella Braverman expected to defect to Reform as Tory leadership race heats up

35 comments

1. If you’re thinking long term I think that’s the best move. Reform have clearly got a plan better than UKiP or the others.

   I don’t see it being out of the possibility that they take 2nd in 2029. Then the plan will be in power for 2034.

2. Defecting because she can’t get enough votes to get on the Tory leadership election ballot would be genuinely pathetic, even by Braverman’s usual standards.

3. Good she is best in that party where she can practice riling up division for no actual gain.

4. Good she is best in that party where she can practice riling up division for no actual gain.

5. Please defect. She is best in Reform where she can practice further riling up division for zero gain.

6. That party isn’t big enough for both her and Farage. Something will have to give.

7. I’d bet she’ll only defect after she loses. She wants to be in charge and there’s no chance of that happening in Reform, and she knows leaving now would give the centre-right of the party – which seems to be moving toward Tom Tugendhat – a better chance of reasserting their power.

8. Would not surprise me if the “Pop Cons” leave the conservatives, at least the unhinged and unelected i.e. Truss, Kwarteng and maybe Rees-Mogg.

9. Jumping ship because she’d rather have a lot of power in a tiny party than look like an even bigger clown than she has already by going for and losing the Tory leadership position. Basically she’s a coward.

10. Pretty much expected this. When the election results came in I said Farage was going to aim for a hostile takeover of the Conservative Party and here we go with it.

11. good riddance, I hope she avoids Reform drunkards for her own safety.

12. Great news hopefully more big names will start to defect once they realize what a joke the conservatives are now

13. Why are we still talking about her? She’s not in government, we can just brush her under the carpet now. Please and thanks.

14. People in her constituency voted for her in part because she is a Tory. If she defects so close to the start of a parliament she absolutely 100% must trigger a bi election. It’s the only moral thing to do.

15. The best thing for the country (in regards to who the tory leader is) is a serious, MP who can fulfill the role of ‘loyal opposition’ properly, keep Labour on task and keep them honest about what’s happening.

    Braverman defecting is a good sign, though I worry none of the candidates are serious people interested in loyal opposition, at least it’s not that bigot.

16. Stuff like this should trigger a bi-election. I know I know someone will tell me we vote locally for a person. But that person (usually) stands as a member of a larger party that also produces a national manifesto they’d be expected to support in parliament.

17. It feels like a gap in our democracy that we vote to elect an MP not a party, but we vote to elect a Party and not a Prime Minister.

    It feels like if an MP defects it should immediately trigger a bi-election.

18. Excellent, we shall welcome her with open arms. And Reform will surge over the next 5 years as the useless centrist Labour party fails to accomplish anything other than increased crime and wokery. The Tories will be eating crow when they’re forced to allow Suella and Farage to take control of the Conservative party in 2029.

19. She’s a great fit but something tells me not everyone in Reform will give her a great reception.

20. Opposition parties are paid £44.53 for every 200 votes they get in something that’s called short money to ensure we have a robust democracy.

    https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01663/

    For small parties with 5 or fewer MPs, that’s limited to £376k per year. As Reform got so many votes, getting one more MP is worth about ten million to them over a five year parliament (presuming you still get the money if someone switches parties, which I have no idea about).

    If it’s not Braverman, it’ll be a big payday for some lucky Tory soon enough no doubt.

21. Good she is best in that party where she can practice riling up division for no actual gain.

22. She won’t defect. Simple reason. She’ll never be the leader of Reform. That’s reserved for you know who. She does stand at least some chance of being Tory leader.

    She’ll huff and puff but she won’t blow the house down.

23. Of course Braverman is defecting to Reform, even that party isn’t far right enough for her

24. She does it for me. Her and Di Abbott together. Holy shit….

25. Got to go somewhere where she can perpetuate the myth that she knows anything about politics.

26. The seat should go up for election again. Anyone that voted her in (why would you?) Weren’t voting Reform

27. A few more defections and they won’t be the official opposition

28. Great, having her in opposition always with the possibility of worming her way into the shadow cabinet or into leadership is a bad thing. She will just rot away in Reform.

29. Let me help rewrite the headline:

    “Suella Braverman expected to defect to Reform as it becomes clear she will never in a million years run the Tory party”

30. Shades of Chuka Umunna defecting to Change UK, and then fading into irrelevance? Let’s hope so.

31. How does she honestly see it going, defecting to a party that hates anyone who isn’t the same shade as printer paper? She’ll be a candidate for r/leopardsatemyface in a few months.

32. Her own party have disowned her . The only thing she’s got left is Reform.

33. Nightmare. Tories and Reform unite and she becomesPM in 4 years 😕

34. Braverman is so hilariously stupid it’s funny. She’s dumb. Like really dumb. I would laugh if she rage defects from one of the safest seats in the country

35. Suella is clearly trying to be Dick of the Year again…