Whether by incompetence or design, Suella Braverman finds herself, yet again, on the frontline of the culture wars. This time, for making sweeping statements branding British-Pakistani men, without nuance or caveats, as child sex abusers who “hold cultural values totally at odds with British values”.
Braverman’s own ethnic origin has shielded her from criticism for too long. Many people within the Conservative party have been hesitant to call out what has been staring members in the face. They struggle to hold an ethnic minority MP to account in the same way they would a white parliamentarian. This needs to change. If we are going to start to have honest conversations, let’s start by saying this – black and brown people can be racist too.
As a Conservative parliamentarian, it’s painfully disappointing to see these comments being made under the most diverse cabinet in history. I do not believe Sunak shares Braverman’s extreme views. In his own statement on government plans to tackle child sexual exploitation, he did not use the same language as Braverman and looked uncomfortable when questioned about it. But as head of the party, the responsibility stops with him. As the first prime minister from an ethnic minority background, he should not want to be remembered for presiding over a government that engaged in racist rhetoric.
The prime minister must now reach out to the people who have been harmed by Braverman’s comments: those diverse communities who are suffering the direct impact of her inaccuracy. He must address the concerns raised by those diverse and varied leaders and organisations who have written him letters in their hundreds calling for an end to this irresponsible and divisive language. His legacy depends on him having the strength to stamp out this rhetoric, and stop it becoming a part of this government’s identity.
I have been assured by senior members of the party that Braverman’s language is not part of a deliberate election strategy to stoke up fear and anger. I want to believe that. And if this is true, then it is part of her own strategy – and the party must act now to distance itself from it. What that looks like is for Sunak to decide.
Braverman is a trained barrister. If somebody who is trained to be an advocate cannot communicate on serious issues in a thoughtful, reasonable, evidence-based way, that’s an issue of incompetence. Whether this consistent use of racist rhetoric is strategy or incompetence, however, doesn’t matter. Both show she is not fit to hold high office.
Those who cry “free speech”, that she’s entitled to say whatever she likes, are missing the point. As a straight-talking Yorkshirewoman now in my 50s, I’ve spent my career drawing attention to issues that were seen as taboo, from forced marriages to FGM, and indeed child sexual exploitation. Criticising Braverman’s language is not about shutting down important debate about policy, or being culturally sensitive. It’s about demanding a home secretary who makes policy announcements that are accurate and based on fact and evidence, which Braverman has failed to do.
A Home Office report in 2020 concluded that most child sexual abuse gangs are made up of white men under the age of 30, for example. Specifics and nuance are important, too. It is not enough for her to backpedal by suggesting, patronisingly, that “the vast majority of British-Pakistanis are law-abiding, upstanding citizens” – by making her uncaveated comments a week ago the damage has already been done.
Calling out people within your own party is a difficult thing to do. It’s even harder calling out another woman of colour. I am cautious about the language I use in speaking about Braverman’s comments. As someone who’s faced racism all my life, I recognise it when I see it. And however difficult it may be, I will not let cultural sensitivity and the colour of the home secretary’s skin stop me from speaking out.
The faces within our cabinet may have changed, but attitudes and the language being used are from a bygone era. Change, it seems, is only skin deep. Real progress and true inclusivity should lead to more informed policymaking. In these difficult times the country demands it of us, and my party needs to rise to that challenge rather than play politics in the gutter.
As told to Lucy Pasha-Robinson
Lady Warsi is a former chair of the Conservative party
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