Reform UK MPs Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick are facing questions after it emerged that the suspect in the Belfast attack entered the United Kingdom while they were in charge of immigration policy. Both former Conservatives defected to Reform earlier this year.
Suspect's Entry Under Scrutiny
Hadi Alodid, a 30-year-old Sudanese national, claims to have entered the UK via the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2023. According to the Home Office, he was granted refugee status the same year and has leave to remain until 2028.
Braverman served as Home Secretary under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from October 2022 to November 2023, while Jenrick was immigration minister during a similar period. Both defected to Reform UK in January and now sit as MPs for Nigel Farage's party.
Braverman's Defense
Speaking to GB News, Braverman claimed she was powerless to implement changes despite overseeing the immigration system. She stated: 'As Home Secretary I repeatedly argued to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet that we needed to leave the ECHR to stop the invasion. For this, I was attacked, blocked and undermined by my own Conservative colleagues.'
She added: 'The failure to stop the boats and leave the ECHR remains the Greatest Betrayal by the last Conservative government and it is why over 90% of asylum claims are approved. It is the main reason I left that dysfunctional and treacherous party.'
Jenrick's Response
Jenrick has not yet commented directly, but wrote on Facebook that Reform would ban visas for Sudanese nationals. He said: 'The only reason to have immigration is if it makes British people safer and richer. Clearly migration from Sudan is doing the opposite.'
However, a post on his X account addressing the 'truly barbaric footage' from Belfast received a community note highlighting his past role in the Conservative government. The note read: 'In 2023, Suella Braverman (Home Secretary) and Robert Jenrick (Immigration Minister) gave the alleged attacker leave to remain and refugee status.'
Political Fallout
Critics, including former Reform MP Rupert Lowe who now leads the hard-right Restore Britain party, have drawn attention to the pair's links, garnering hundreds of thousands of views on social media. Reform UK has been approached for comment.
