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Defections to Reform UK
In the United Kingdom, Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary (2022–2023) under Liz Truss and then under Rishi Sunak, confirmed on Monday that she was renouncing her Conservative Party membership card in favor of Nigel Farage’s anti-immigrant movement.
Le Monde.fr said Braverman’s move followed Robert Jenrick, former Secretary of State for Migration (2022–2023) under Rishi Sunak, who had crossed the Rubicon on January 15, and Nadhim Zahawi, ephemeral Chancellor of the Exchequer (July–September 2022) under Boris Johnson, who had preceded him by three days.
Le Monde.fr reported that in total about twenty Conservative elected officials and former Conservative officials have shifted to the far right since 2024, and it quoted Braverman saying, "I feel like I’m coming home!" at a joint press conference with Nigel Farage in central London.
The same Le Monde.fr account quoted Braverman adding that "the United Kingdom is broken, immigration is out of control, people do not feel safe, our young people are leaving abroad," as it framed her defection as part of a broader realignment of the right.
Le Monde.fr also recalled that in autumn 2023 Braverman warned of a "migrant hurricane" ready to strike the British coast and defended the plan to expel asylum seekers to Rwanda launched by Boris Johnson.
Anti-far-right marches
On Saturday, March 28, tens of thousands of people marched in London against the far right, with the Together Alliance coalition including Amnesty International, the Unite union, and the anti-racist Stand Up to Racism.
France 24 reported that organizers said about half a million people had traveled, while London’s police put the attendance at 50,000, and it said the march gathered not far from Hyde Park to reach Whitehall, where the main offices of the British government are located.
L’Humanité likewise described the demonstration as "the largest anti-far-right march in UK history" and said the capital’s police put the figure at 50,000 participants.
L’Humanité quoted Green Party leader Zack Polanski saying, "Days like this are here to send a message... we are unstoppable," as it also reported that a separate pro-Palestinian march converged on the main rally.
France 24 added that Tommy Robinson had announced another large rally for May 16 and that the Reform party led the polls on voting intentions in the United Kingdom.
Elections, arrests, and pressure
Ahead of local elections due to be held on May 7, L’Humanité reported that London police had promised a "strong police presence" and said 25 people had been arrested.
L’Humanité added that 18 arrests were linked to a demonstration in support of Palestine Action, a group of activists banned under anti-terrorism law, and it said Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office in July 2024, has made fighting immigration one of his priorities.
In November, L’Humanité said his government announced sweeping reform of asylum policy aimed at discouraging arrivals of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats, and it connected the policy focus to the march’s anti-far-right message.
Meanwhile, Le Monde.fr described Braverman’s defection as following a pattern of high-profile Conservative departures and quoted her warning that "immigration is out of control" and that people "do not feel safe".
The Conversation framed the political backdrop by saying Reform UK is topping the polls and that Nigel Farage could become the next British prime minister, while it also stated that Reform UK had only eight seats in the House of Commons at the time of its account.
