'We are asking for accountability': Calls for Suella Braverman to resign as MP after defecting to Reform UK

At a heated meeting of Fareham Borough Council on February 20, members debated a motion urging the former Conservative Home Secretary to stand down and trigger a by-election.

Leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, Cllr David Hamilton, argued that elections are built on trust between voters and the individual they elect.

Cllr Hamilton said: “When people vote, they vote for a person who stands on a set of promises — a manifesto, a programme, a set of values.

“No one stands on a blank sheet of paper. Those promises are made under a party banner and believed as such by the public.”

Referring to comments in which Ms Braverman reportedly described the Conservatives as a “desperate party”, he added: “That represents a complete change in the contract with the electorate. When that contract changes, the public should have their say.”

He pointed out that the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, had publicly suggested she should “do the honourable thing” and resign, allowing voters to decide the issue in a by-election.

“If moving to Reform is the right decision, then test it. If the public support it, prove it. If there is a mandate, renew it.”

Ms Braverman was most recently elected as the MP for Fareham and Waterlooville in July 2024, returning a reduced majority.

Reform UK’s candidate finished fourth.

The motion faced strong opposition within the chamber.

Cllr Michael Ford described the debate as misplaced.

“Here we are, in the most important council meeting of the year, wasting our time on a motion that will of course fail. This is the wrong place.”

He noted that electoral law does not require an MP to resign after changing party affiliation and suggested the motion was, in effect, calling for a change in national legislation.

“A significant number of MPs have switched parties over the years. How many have returned to their electorates? This motion achieves absolutely nothing.”

Cllr Ford also stressed that Ms Braverman is not the MP for many members of the chamber.

“For exactly half of this council, she is not our MP,” he said. “While some may feel disappointed, political affiliation has no direct impact on us here. I will not be supporting this.”

Council leader Cllr Simon Martin said any decision to resign to seek a renewed mandate was a personal political choice.

“This motion asks me, as leader, to write to an MP requesting that she resign her seat — something she is under no legal obligation to do — and I am not prepared to do that.”

Supporters of the motion insisted it was not about legal compulsion but political accountability.

Cllr Alison West said: “We are not asking for a change in the law. We know she is not obliged to resign. We are asking for accountability.”

Cllr Kirsten Wiltshire acknowledged that the council could not force a resignation but argued that expressing a collective view was within its remit.

“We all understand this council cannot impose a resignation. All we can do is express a view — and that is part of representing the people we serve.

“If the political contract has changed, then the moral responsibility is to return to the electorate and let them decide.”

The motion was defeated after failing to win the backing of a majority of councillors.