CLA · On the Record
Suella Braverman
Role at the time and now: Reform UK MP for Fareham and Waterlooville; Reform UK spokesperson for Education, Skills and Equalities
“They’re terrified of being called racist so they say that anyone, as long as they’re born here, can be English. I take the conservative approach. Englishness is an ethnicity.”
What was said
On 22 September 2026, Suella Braverman posted on X that she was British but not English despite being born in England, speaking English and supporting the England football team. She rejected the position that birthplace is sufficient for someone to be English and instead defined Englishness as an ethnicity. In the same post she linked that definition to a “more muscular approach to citizenship and nationality” and said other countries use ethnicity and culture as criteria for limiting who may be part of their citizenry.
Context and response
Braverman repeated the position on BBC Question Time on 1 October 2026, saying: “I’m not an English person; I am of Asian origin” and asking why the English could not have a distinct identity. A Black audience member said her argument reinforced the racism he had experienced when people told him he was not English despite being born in England. Braverman asked whether she was “being racist against myself?” and disagreed with him.
On 2 October, Braverman’s official website published a response titled “I WON’T BE BULLIED INTO SILENCE”, saying that she would not be bullied and calling for a conversation about mass uncontrolled immigration. No retraction was identified.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said identity was personal but criticised politicians “telling some people that they are not English”, referring to her own mixed-race children. Former home secretary James Cleverly said it was sad that Braverman and others were amplifying “really quite vile positions” about ethnicity, race and nationality.
On 13 October, Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf publicly disagreed with Braverman. Citing former England footballer Ashley Cole and former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain, Yusuf said “the idea that those people aren’t English is an alien concept to me” and that the contrary argument “doesn’t hold water”. He also said Braverman was “entitled to her view” and that concerns about national demographics should be heard.
On 16 October, Braverman told the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast that she had “always been talking in a personal capacity” about her own identity and was “not imposing” her view on anyone else. She said everybody was free to describe themselves as they wished, that she had not said anyone lacked that right, and that she had not said a person had to be white to be English.
Evidence trail
- Suella Braverman’s original X post, 22 September 2026 — direct, attributable primary source.
- BBC Question Time video, 1 October 2026 — original broadcaster clip of the discussion.
- Suella Braverman’s official website, 2 October 2026 — her published response after the programme.
- The Independent, 6 October 2026 — reproduces the full X post and records Badenoch’s response.
- Sky News, 5 October 2026 — records James Cleverly’s response.
- Sky News live coverage, 13 and 16 October 2026 — records Zia Yusuf’s same-party disagreement and Braverman’s later clarification, quoting her BBC Political Thinking interview.
- UK Parliament member record — current office and party affiliation.
Evidence status
Direct, attributable and independently preserved. Braverman’s own X post states the proposition. The BBC clip records her subsequent explanation, and established news reports reproduce the wording and material responses.
Legal status
This record concerns political speech about national identity, ethnicity and citizenship. It does not report an enacted legal restriction, a party investigation, an administrative finding, a criminal charge or a conviction against Braverman. Inclusion here is not an allegation of illegality.
Last reviewed: 16 October 2026
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