Suella Braverman is the Reform UK MP for Fareham and Waterlooville — one of the most senior Conservative figures ever to defect to Reform UK, and easily the most high-profile of the January 2026 wave of defectors. A former Home Secretary, barrister, and Attorney General, her arrival transformed the Reform UK parliamentary group's weight and credibility.
Background and Career
Born on 3 April 1980, Braverman was educated at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and the Inns of Court School of Law. She qualified as a barrister and worked in law before entering politics. She was first elected as the Conservative MP for Fareham in 2015, and has represented the constituency — latterly under its redrawn boundaries as Fareham and Waterlooville — ever since.
She rose quickly through ministerial ranks, serving as Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland from 2021 to 2022 under Boris Johnson. Her appointment as Home Secretary in 2022 made her one of the most powerful women in British government.
As Home Secretary
Braverman served as Home Secretary twice — briefly under Boris Johnson and then for over a year under Rishi Sunak following her reappointment in October 2022. Her tenure was defined by an aggressive approach to illegal migration: she championed the Rwanda deportation scheme, which she described as necessary to break the business model of people-smuggling gangs. She was eventually sacked by Sunak in November 2023 after publishing a newspaper article that the Prime Minister believed undermined the Metropolitan Police's authority.
Her time as Home Secretary made her one of the most recognisable and controversial figures in British politics — strongly supported by the right, intensely criticised by the left and by civil society groups. Her name became synonymous with hardline immigration policy.
Defection to Reform UK
Following the Conservatives' catastrophic 2024 election defeat and the election of Kemi Badenoch as party leader, Braverman's disillusionment with the Conservatives deepened. In January 2026, she joined Reform UK — a move that was front-page news and that significantly reshaped perceptions of the party. Her arrival, alongside Robert Jenrick and Andrew Rosindell, gave Reform UK a parliamentary group with genuine governmental experience for the first time.
"The Conservative Party has failed to conserve anything of importance. It is time to build something new."Suella Braverman MP (paraphrasing her stated reasons for joining Reform UK)
Career Timeline
- 1980Born 3 April in Harrow, London
- 2015Elected Conservative MP for Fareham
- 2021–22Attorney General for England and Wales; Advocate General for Northern Ireland
- 2022Appointed Home Secretary under Boris Johnson; resigned; reappointed by Rishi Sunak
- 2023Sacked as Home Secretary by Sunak following Metropolitan Police article
- 2024Conservative Party loses general election; Badenoch elected leader
- Jan 2026Defected to Reform UK
Frequently Asked Questions
Suella Braverman is the Reform UK MP for Fareham and Waterlooville in Hampshire. She was previously the Conservative MP for Fareham and served as Home Secretary twice — under Boris Johnson and under Rishi Sunak — before defecting to Reform UK in January 2026.
Yes. Braverman served as Home Secretary under two Prime Ministers. She was appointed by Boris Johnson in 2022, then resigned briefly before being reappointed by Rishi Sunak in October 2022. She was ultimately sacked by Sunak in November 2023 following a controversial article she wrote about the Metropolitan Police's handling of pro-Palestine marches.
Braverman defected to Reform UK in January 2026, citing the Conservative Party's failure to deliver on immigration, its inability to form an effective opposition, and her belief that Reform UK offered the only credible vehicle for the radical change she believed the country needed. Her defection was one of the most significant to Reform UK from the Conservatives.
Braverman is best known for her hardline approach to immigration as Home Secretary — including the Rwanda deportation scheme — and for being one of the most outspoken right-wing figures in British politics. She has been a consistent advocate for leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and taking a maximalist approach to border control.
Braverman represents Fareham and Waterlooville in Hampshire — a redrawn constituency covering the town of Fareham on the western shore of Portsmouth Harbour and Waterlooville, north of Portsmouth. It is a safe right-of-centre seat.
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