Rael Braverman quits Reform UK following Suella criticism

Rael Braverman has annouced he is quitting Reform UK with immediate effect, just one day after the party criticised his wife Suella over the 2022 Afghan Ministry of Defence leak.

Braverman – who had been responsible for bringing many Jewish former Tory supporters to Nigel Farage’s party – posted on X he had left Reform  “effective immediately”on Wednesday.

While he gave no explanation for leaving the party, the previous day ex-chairman Zia Yusuf  had named Suella as being aware of a £7billion “cover-up” over the Afghan leak

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Nigel Farage also joined the criticism of both Suella and Robert Jenrick, alleging both knew about to allow thousands of Afghans into the country secretly and the imposition of super injunction.

Meanwhile a report in the Mail earlier this week quoted a Reform UK source saying she would not be welcome in their party as she was “not a team player”, adding: “Her record shows she is just too disruptive.”

Braverman had joined Reform last December and alongside other Jewish members of the party attacked the Board of Deputies for being too closely linked to Labour.

He said Reform UK “demonstrated its commitment to Jewish representation” in the last general election by fielding Jewish candidates in constituencies with significant Jewish populations. “

“This fact alone challenges the narrative that Reform UK does not support Jewish interests, positing instead that our party is diverse and representative,” added Braverman.

Suella Braverman’s husband has led Jewish members of Reform UK in questioning the impartiality of the Board of Deputies, following comments made by its president during a session at Limmud.

Speaking as part of a panel discussion on the sense of abandonment on the Left felt by some members of the Jewish community that may result in pushing them further towards populist right-wing parties such as Reform, the Board’s president, Phil Rosenberg, promised that before the next general election, they would be “challenging [the] Reform [party] on their candidate selection”.

He also called on the community to “make the case for passionate effective centrism” that counters the “polarisation in our politics”, as reported by the JC in an online article titled “Don’t fall into the honeytrap of right-wing populism, community warned” published on December 24.