Suella Braverman’s U.S. speech on the dangers of uncontrolled immigration was clearly designed to create the impression the issue was about to be taken seriously. That after more than a decade of broken promises, numbers would actually come down. But the response from other senior Tories suggests that Britons should only expect more of the same.
The home secretary’s colleagues must have cringed when they heard her describe the “basic rule of history that nations which cannot defend their borders will not long survive,” since they have spent the following week distancing themselves from this sentiment.
Rishi Sunak was quick to argue the UK has done an “incredibly good job” of integrating migrants after Braverman condemned the “misguided dogma of multiculturalism.”
At the launch of the Tory conference, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt added that, on the topic of immigration, he “wouldn’t use [Braverman’s] words.” He said:
I am married to an immigrant and I’ve always believed that we benefit massively as a country from welcoming the brightest and best from all over the world.
Hunt did speak more harshly on illegal immigration but had no bad words for surging numbers across the board (the vast majority of which is a result of legal immigration).
Former minister and Tory bigwig Priti Patel performed similar manoeuvres to detach herself from Braverman’s speech, jibing that
I don’t know what the intention was around that—it might just be get attention … This side of a general election, I might politely suggest it is about delivery, and the government will be judged on delivery.
According to some reports, Braverman might not just be working on the 2024 general election but on the next Tory leadership battle. Sky News notes that “some speculate [the minister] was trying to boost her leadership credentials if Mr Sunak was defeated at the next general election.” Which could suggest that Braverman doesn’t support what she said, either, but is merely looking to win favour among the Tory base.
