The Conservative Party retracted an official statement attacking Suella Braverman's "mental health" after her defection to Reform UK on Monday, following fierce backlash from politicians across the spectrum and mental health charities.
The party's spokesperson apologized for the controversial statement, describing it as «sent out in error», and circulated an amended version that removed all mental health references.
The initial statement had claimed: «The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella's mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy.» The comment, issued just hours after Braverman joined Nigel Farage's Reform UK, sparked immediate condemnation.
Cross-party condemnation
Former Conservative MP Nigel Evans told GB News the statement was an «absolute disgrace» and «completely underhand». Tory peer Stewart Jackson wrote on X: «What a nasty and unpleasant statement from @Conservatives. That's another few thousand votes they've lost.»
Labour MPs also criticized the attack. Sojan Joseph, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on mental health, called the comments «frankly appalling». He said: «Conflating a political defection with mental illness downplays an incredibly important issue and undermines the hard work of mental health staff and the genuine struggle of people living with mental health issues.»
Home Office minister Mike Tapp posted on X that while he had «no sympathy» for Braverman, «the Tories attacking her mental health is below the standards we expect». Labour MP Josh Fenton-Glynn called the statement «horrible», writing on X: «Attacking someone on mental health is wrong. The whole thing reads as petty and churlish.»
Mental health charities respond
Tom Pollard, head of policy at Mind, said it was «disappointing to see a political party commenting publicly on someone's mental health». He added: «Using mental health as a criticism of someone's actions is stigmatising and unhelpful for anyone who has a mental health problem.»
Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said: «Employers should never disclose any details about the mental health of their employees or former staff. Doing so says far more about them than the person they are referring to. People living with mental ill-health do not deserve to have their experiences trivialised or used as a political football.»
A Reform source told the Guardian the claim was «not true» and «a gross affront to millions of people in this country». The source emphasized: «Whether you like Suella or not, she is a Cambridge-educated barrister who has served in a series of extraordinary senior positions in this country. To just throw around a wild claim of this nature – it goes without saying that she has never been diagnosed with a mental health condition. It is a testament to the extent to which the Tory party is in real panic mode and is prepared to say anything.»
Amended statement
The Conservatives' revised statement focused instead on Braverman's political ambition, noting she came sixth in the 2022 leadership race and failed to secure enough supporters in 2024. The statement claimed: «She has now decided to try her luck with Nigel Farage, who said last year he didn't want her in Reform.»
Braverman, who served as attorney-general and home secretary under the last four Tory prime ministers, announced earlier on Monday she had «come home» by joining Reform UK.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
