Suella Braverman has leadership ambitions – but her rhetoric risks backfiring

Published

2 years ago

September 26, 2023

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Poised to scatter morsels of red meat to the right of the Tory party, Suella Braverman will today tell a centre-right thinktank that it’s time to re-examine the definition of the word “refugee”.

In Washington DC, the home secretary is set to accuse asylum seekers of shopping around, arguing that those who travel to the UK across the Channel in small boats are not fleeing imminent peril.

But this isn’t just about fulfilling Sunak’s pledge to stop the boats. This is about Braverman boosting her personal popularity ratings among the right of her party ahead of an election most Tories fear they will lose.

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Braverman claims 780 million people could claim asylum globally under the current interpretation of the UN Refugee Convention, and that there must be a greater distinction between the terms “persecution” and “discrimination”, “trafficking” and “smuggling”.

Although today’s speech will be music to the ears of the Tory right, how much is it likely to change the status quo?

A total of 146 countries are signed up to the UN Refugee Convention and it was created in the wake of the Second World War to protect the rights of people forced to flee conflict and persecution.

Although Braverman’s rhetoric may sound tough, it is a far from simple task to reform such an iconic convention – and it’s definitely not something the UK can do alone.

Already a vocal supporter of withdrawing from the European Court of Human Rights, Braverman has form when it comes to calling for radical immigration rhetoric.

But without taking the international community with her, the UK risks alienating itself on the world stage.

Although Braverman will be hoping this speech will bolster her standing among those who believe illegal immigration will be a wedge issue at the next election, there is a risk of her rhetoric backfiring as she herself has been in charge of the failing asylum system she is so quick to criticise.

According to recent polling by YouGov, 86% of people believe the government is handling immigration badly and Labour remains the preferred party to handle immigration.

If this trend continues, the Tories will remain on shaky ground when it comes to immigration – something they once saw as their home turf.

Make no mistake, this is not a policy announcement.

This is a show of strength from a home secretary with leadership ambitions.

But will she be seen as a truth teller, or a politician quick to blame everyone and everything around her for her own failings?

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Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget

Published

7 hours ago

July 13, 2025

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Heidi Alexander says 'fairness' will be government's 'guiding principle' when it comes to taxes at next budget

Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.

Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.

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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.

Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.

“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”

Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.

“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”

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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”

He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.

Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.

Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.

Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.

With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.

The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.