Who Is Suella Braverman? Indian-Origin Politician Running For United Kingdom PM

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson announced his resignation on July 8. Two of the candidates competing for the post are Indian-origin Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak. Born in Goa, the 42-year-old is a barrister and a senior legal official in the government.

Suella Braverman is currently the Attorney General in the British Cabinet. Braverman was among the first members of parliament to formally announce their candidacy. She announced her candidacy on July 6. To date, only Braverman and lawmaker Tom Tugendhat have publicly announced their candidacy for the post of UK Prime Minister.

Braverman said, "I am putting myself forward because I believe the 2019 manifesto is suitable for this purpose and I want to fulfil the promises made in that manifesto." She was referring to the Conservative Party's 2019 election manifesto.

Attorney General Braverman studied at Cambridge University and completed a master’s degree at Pantheon-Sorbonne University in European and French law. She specialises in commercial litigation, judicial review, immigration, and planning law at the No5 Barristers’ Chambers in London.

In 2005, Braverman entered politics and contested from the Leicester East constituency, she lost the election.

She was later selected as the Conservative candidate in Fareham and was elected to the House of Commons as the Fareham MP in 2015.

After being elected, she served on the Education Select Committee as a Brexit Minister and Parliamentary Private Secretary. In 2018, she resigned from her role as Brexit Minister.

On February 13, 2020, Braverman succeeded Geoffrey Cox as Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland. Her appointment as Attorney General made her the second female Attorney General and the first Conservative female Attorney General.

Braverman got married to Rael Braverman in 2018 and their first child was born in 2019 and their second child was born in 2021.

The Indian-origin cabinet minister Rishi Sunak is also being seen as a probable candidate for the post of Prime Minister of the UK. The former Finance Minister resigned on July 5 following the controversy surrounding the sexual harassment allegations against the MP Christopher John Pincher.

Braverman was appointed as Home Secretary under Liz Truss' leadership. She was fired by the then-prime minister and resigned from her office. Later, Truss resigned as the UK prime minister and Rishi Sunak took the post. Braverman was re-appointed as Home Secretary. She will be in charge of overseeing UK borders, policing and counter-terrorism.

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