The Conservative Party have been forced to retract a statement making claims about Suella Braverman’s mental health after her dramatic defection following criticism from politicians and charities.
The former home secretary was unveiled as the latest ex-Tory right-winger to defect to Nigel Farage’s Reform on Monday following her friend and political ally Robert Jenrick.
But soon after the defection, an initial response issued by the Conservative Party included the sentence: “The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy.”
The reference to Ms Braverman’s mental health was decried across the political spectrum and by mental health charities and forced her former party into a humiliating retraction.
The statement came after a bitter month for the Tories with Mr Jenrick, Ms Braverman and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell all defecting. Another nine Tory MPs are on a defection watchlist.
A tweet supporting Ms Braverman from former Brexit minister Lord Frost also sparked renewed speculation that he will be the latest Boris Johnson ally to join Mr Farage.
But the tone of the Tory attack on Ms Braverman, the MP for Fareham and Waterlooville, was met with an angry response.
Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of the Rethink Mental Illness charity warned the issue of mental health should not be “used as a political football”.
“Employers should never disclose any details about the mental health of their employees or former staff,” he said.
“Doing so says far more about them than the person they are referring to. People living with mental ill-health do not deserve to have their experiences trivialised or used as a political football.”
Both Labour and Conservative politicians criticised the statement as “nasty and unpleasant”.
Conservative peer Lord Jackson wrote on X: “What a nasty and unpleasant statement from @Conservatives. That’s another few thousand votes they’ve lost.”
Meanwhile, Labour MP Jake Richards wrote on social media: “I hope decent Conservatives call this statement out. It is beneath them.”
Home Office minister Mike Tapp criticised the statement as “below the standards we expect”.
“I have no sympathy for Suella Braverman when it comes to politics and what she did to our immigration system,” he wrote on X.
“But the Tories attacking her mental health is below the standards we expect. British values are strong but decent, firm but fair. Neither the Tories nor Reform sign up to that.”
Hours later, the sentence was removed and a new statement was reissued. The party said the earlier version was a draft sent out in error.
The corrected statement from a Conservative Party spokesman now reads: “It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect.
The statement adds: “There are some people who are MPs because they care about their communities and want to deliver a better country.
“There are others who do it for their personal ambition. Suella stood for leader of the Conservatives in 2022 and came sixth, behind Kemi and Tom Tugendhat.
“In 2024 she could not even muster enough supporters to get on the ballot. She has now decided to try her luck with Nigel Farage, who said last year he didn’t want her in Reform. They really are doing our ‘Spring cleaning’!”
Afterbeing introduced as the eighth Reform MP at a rally in London, Ms Braverman, who once ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party and was a major supporter of Brexit, said: “Today I am announcing that I am resigning the Conservative whip and my party membership of 30 years. And because I believe with my heart and soul that a better future is possible for us, I am joining Reform UK.”
She told the crowd that Mr Farage was the only man in UK politics who has been “courageously consistent”.
But two years ago, when she was home secretary, Ms Farage had described Ms Braverman as “absolutely pathetic” on immigration and stopping the small boats.
When asked about his previous comments after Ms Braverman’s defection, Mr Farage told to reporters on Monday: “Utterly useless as they all were. They all were utterly useless, because they were stuck within the ECHR. So she found herself in this bizarre position….we were still stuck in the ECHR, which she opposed.
He added: “The government was a failure, but she’s now prepared to put her hands up and say, We got it wrong. And that’s the first criteria.”
In a chequered career Ms Braverman was forced to resign as home secretary from Liz Truss’s government and then sacked from the same role by Rishi Sunak.
As well as being a so-called Brexit spartan who voted against all Theresa May’s deals with the EU, she also infamously attacked rough sleeper and described asylum seekers as “invaders” in a career which saw her on the extreme right of the Conservative Party.
Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said: “Nigel Farage is stuffing his party full of the failed Tories responsible for the chaos and decline that held Britain back for 14 years.
“Suella Braverman helped botch Brexit and got sacked as home secretary – her defection shows Farage is willing to accept the very worst of the Conservative Party and exposes his complete lack of judgement.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email [email protected], or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you
