Top Tory Suella Braverman Defects to Rival Reform UK, Rocking Conservatives Ahead of July Election

**Top Tory Suella Braverman Defects to Rival Reform UK, Rocking Conservatives Ahead of July Election** In a major blow to Britain's governing Conservative Party, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has defected to the rival right-wing party Reform UK. Her move is the most senior in a series of defections that signals deep turmoil within the Conservatives just weeks before a national election [59450][59458]. Braverman, who served as the UK's top minister for law and order, announced her switch with a statement saying she felt "like I've come home" [59322]. She accused her former party of having "lied" to voters about its promises on immigration, a core issue for her and her new political home [59365]. Reform UK is a populist party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. It advocates for significantly reduced immigration and often criticizes what it calls "woke" culture [59450]. The party's growing popularity threatens to split the center-right vote in the upcoming July 4th election, a scenario that could hand a decisive victory to the opposition Labour Party [59450][59322]. Braverman's defection follows the departure of at least two other senior Conservative politicians to Reform UK since late May [59450]. The series of high-profile exits has increased pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and exposed stark divisions over the party's direction on key issues like immigration and economic policy [59322][59458]. In response to the rise of Reform UK, other senior Conservative figures have launched a new movement called "Prosper UK," aiming to pull the party back toward the political center [59341]. However, Braverman's very public shift underscores the immediate electoral challenge posed by the insurgent right-wing party as the campaign enters its final stages. Ex-British Minister Joins Far-Right Party, Rocking Conservatives Ex-Conservative Star Braverman Joins Rival Reform UK Ex-Minister Joins Rival: Braverman Defects to Populist Reform UK Ex-Home Secretary Joins Rival, Says Conservatives "Lied" on Immigration Tory Titans Strike Back: New Movement Aims to "Save" Conservative Party