Former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman is now Reform UK spokesperson for education, skills and equality. Suella Braverman has been left humiliated after it emerged she used to praise a resettlement scheme for Afghans she now says was “appalling”. The former Conservative home secretary told the House of Commons in 2023 that she was “very proud of the high number of Afghans who have been resettled and welcomed into the United Kingdom”. Around 20,000 people from Afghanistan moved to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP), and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). They were set up in part to help those who had helped the British military effort during the Afghanistan war at the start of the 2000s. Speaking in the Commons in June 2023, when she was the Tory home secretary, Braverman said: “I am very proud of the high number of Afghans who have been resettled and welcomed into the United Kingdom. “Between 2015 and 2022, almost 50,000 people have been resettled and relocated, of which over 21,000 were through the Afghan schemes – the ACRS and ARAP. “And over 28,000 were through established resettlement schemes related to other countries. So I think that is a good track record.” Oh Suella. Oh Zia. What will Arron say? cc @timmyvoe thanks. x pic.twitter.com/1ukZbZda9I — Wendy Macaroony (@MaggiesMole) August 11, 2026 But despite those comments, Braverman – who defected to Reform UK last year and is now the party’s education spokesperson – has now criticised the Afghan schemes. It came after Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, accused former Tory defence secretary Ben Wallace of being “a traitor to Britain” for allowing thousands thousands of Afghans to come to the UK. In a post on X yesterday, Braverman said ARAP was “an appalling scheme that put huge pressure on the Home Office and yet another mistake by the last Tory government”. ARAP was launched in 2021- before I was Home Secretary. It was an appalling scheme that put huge pressure on the Home Office and yet another mistake by the last Tory government. Ben was probably the biggest cheerleader for it in government. So glad I’ve left that rotten party. https://t.co/SwORAPYd3P — Suella Braverman (@SuellaBraverman) August 11, 2026 After being criticised by Wallace, she replied: “Your evangelism about bringing thousands of Afghans into the UK was an appalling misjudgment. “It forced the Home Office to accommodate migrants who would otherwise not be here, it took up valuable housing stock that should have been used by Brits and has placed enormous pressure on our resources. “Both ARAP AND ACRS were Great Betrayals by the last Conservative government (introduced before I was Home Secretary) and must never happen again.” I won’t take lectures from the Defence Secretary at the time of the Afghan leak. You should be apologising to the nation for that gross act of negligence which happened on your watch. It put innocent people’s lives at risk and undermined our national security. To date, not one… https://t.co/55pgQSdrek — Suella Braverman (@SuellaBraverman) August 11, 2026 Her remarkable U-turn led to criticism on social media. You just can't stop yourself can you. You are an embarrassment. You think people won't forget. You think people are stupid. Can't wait for you to lose your seat at the next election. pic.twitter.com/XJM1n4ezmP — Thomas Evans @Renewal2030 🇬🇧 (@ThomasEvansAdur) August 12, 2026 pic.twitter.com/2WIH6enSkK — Martin Curnow (@mjCurnow) August 12, 2026 You were in charge, you were in office, you made numerous statements in the house - it was all noted and recorded. So you should be the one apologising to your self. What crack have you been smoking ? — M (@M60RNG) August 12, 2026 Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Suella Braverman Handed Brutal Reality Check By Leader Of Gibraltar Bungling Robert Jenrick And Suella Braverman Accidentally Vote To Scrap Two-Child Benefit Cap 5 Times Reform's Latest Tory Recruit Suella Braverman Left Westminster Baffled