Suella Braverman In Question Time Racism Row Over What It Means To Be English

Suella Braverman has been criticised after becoming embroiled in a BBC Question Time row over what Englishness means.

The Reform MP was accused of suggesting that non-white people cannot be English.

Braverman, who defected to Nigel Farage’s party from the Conservatives earlier this year, sparked an outcry last month by insisting she was not English, even though she was born in the country and has lived in it her whole life.

During a debate on this issue, a black man in the Question Time audience told her: “What you’ve done is basically reinforce the racist argument.

“I’ve been on this planet for 54 years, and the amount of times I’ve been told I’m not English, even though I was born here. If I had a penny for every time I’ve been given that, I’d be a very rich man.”

Braverman replied: “So I’m being racist against myself? That makes a lot of sense, with respect. I’m not going to be racist against myself.”

The former Tory home secretary left Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce stunned by refusing to explain what she believes makes someone English.

Bruce asked her: “If someone’s going to call themselves English, I presume you’ve got an idea in mind as to what they would be?”

As Braverman said she was not of “English origin” because her parents and grandparents were born elsewhere, Bruce asked again: “I get what you’re saying it isn’t, but what is it?”

The MP replied: “I’m not the one saying that it has to be five generations or four generations.

“I think it becomes pretty obvious when people have got a lineage, an ancestry, a connection to the heritage of this country which dates back a few generations.”

Braverman also got into a row with New Statesman journalist Oli Dugmore, who said: “The political function of what she was saying earlier is that you can only be English if you are white and that, and I regret to say it, is a racist point of view.”

Hitting back on X later, Braverman accused Dugmore of putting her and other Reform politicians at risk.

She said: “You’ve called me racist this evening- albeit in a contorted way- but in doing so, you’ve lowered the tone of the debate with divisive and inflammatory language. And absurdly, you’re suggesting that I’m being racist against myself.

“It’s because of irresponsible language like yours that we in Reform need security. The left can keep smearing us as racist for challenging the cosy consensus on mass migration but we will not be bullied into silence.”

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