FORMER home secretary Suella Braverman expressed outrage over the Home Office flying the pride flag, labelling it a “monstrous thing” during a speech.
Her remarks were strongly criticised by LGBTQ+ Tories. She accused “liberal Conservatives” of failing to “stop the lunatic woke virus,” asserting that this failure contributed to the party's electoral defeat, reported The Guardian.
Speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC, Braverman protested against the party’s inability to fulfill its 2019 promises, including leveraging Brexit freedoms, curbing illegal immigration, and cutting taxes.
“We won a great majority in 2019 promising to do what the people wanted. Our problem is us. Our problem is that the liberal Conservatives who trashed the Tory party think it was everyone’s fault but their own. My party governed as liberals and we were defeated as liberals," she was quoted as saying.
Braverman criticised the decision to fly the pride flag in Home Office, equating it with endorsing severe medical interventions for children.
“What the pride flag says to me is one monstrous thing: that I was a member of a government that presided over the mutilation of children in our hospitals and from our schools,” she said.
Her speech prompted strong reactions, with former Tory candidate and radio presenter Iain Dale calling it “disgusting” and doubting her leadership prospects. Another candidate Casey Byrne called for Braverman’s expulsion from the party, urging others to speak up against her remarks.
Braverman is anticipated to run for Tory leadership, although her support appears to be waning in favour of Robert Jenrick, who advocates a hardline anti-migration stance.
She is scheduled to speak via video link at a Popular Conservatism event in Westminster, despite key faction MPs like Liz Truss, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Simon Clarke, and Ranil Jayawardena losing their seats.
Rees-Mogg cautioned the party against shifting to the centre, advocating for a rightward move similar to Boris Johnson’s successful 2019 campaign. He argued that the Conservative party had taken its base for granted and failed to connect with traditional voters, leading to their dissatisfaction.
The Conservative party is set to commence preparations for a new leadership election, with many MPs suggesting the process extend beyond the October party conference. Leader Rishi Sunak is expected to serve as interim leader until the end of summer recess.
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