Suella Braverman has been condemned for her “utterly repulsive speech” to the Conservative party conference in which she referred to a “hurricane” of migrants on their way to Britain.
The home secretary received a standing ovation from Tory attendees after a speech in which she said the Human Rights Act should be renamed the “Criminal Rights Act” and attacked the “luxury beliefs” of elite liberals.
A far reaching populist diatribe saw Braverman unleash on the Labour party and “wokeism” as well as “transgender ideology” and asylum hotels. However, it was the issue of migration that dominated the 28 minute speech, during which she told delegates their party stood with the “hard-working, commonsense majority against the few” which Braverman dismissed as “the privileged woke minority, with their luxury beliefs”.
Her populist rhetoric epitomised what Telegraph columnist Tim Stanley said was a day at conference “in which the Conservative Party rediscovered its inner-nasty” and Braverman boosted her chances to succeed Rishi Sunak as party leader.
Green party MP Caroline Lucas was unequivocal in her condemnation of the home secretary, posting on social media: “Utterly repulsive speech by Suella Braverman referring to a “hurricane” of migration, as her dehumanising rhetoric plumbs new depths. The hurricane I’d like to see is one which sweeps her culture war-stoking, dog-whistling, hard-right party from office.”
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the “utterly despicable language” used by Braverman in her speech, saying it comes “straight out of the far-right playbook.”
Prominent Conservative and chair of the London Assembly Andrew Boff was ejected from the conference hall by Greater Manchester police for disputing Braverman’s use of a term during her speech saying “there’s no such thing as gender ideology.” Boff was immediately surrounded and led out of the auditorium. Later Boff told Channel 4 News: “I listened to what she [Braverman] said and it horrified me, not just on the LGBT issue, but this again, vilification of asylum seekers, people who are coming here to have a better life.
“And it just seems cruel and it looks like bullying. And I never, never thought we were that kind of party. And I still don’t think we are that kind of party. So when you hear that you have to challenge it.”
Commenting on Boff’s removal, political pundit and journalist Kevin Maguire posted: “Frightening intolerance and authoritarianism when a senior Tory member of the London Assembly is pulled out of a hall for challenging Suella Braverman’s speech. Only clapping true believe[r]s allowed? And why did a cop help strong arm him out?”
Despite the criticism from outside the hall, Braverman received a standing ovation for her speech from Tory delegates at the conference.
GBNews presenter Darren Grimes explained the support, saying the home secretary “dropped a truth bomb”, adding: “multiculturalism has failed, and the UN’s refugee convention is outdated. Cue the faux outrage and cries of ‘racism!’ But let’s get real—she’s voicing what many Brits think. Hats off to you, Home Secretary!
Depressingly for Braverman, an article in the Telegraph about who the next leader of the Conservative will be only puts her in third place, at odds of 9/1 – behind Penny Mordaunt (5/1) and frontrunner Kemi Badenoch (7/2)
