The Oxford Blue can exclusively reveal that former Home Secretary Suella Braverman MP will be returning to the Oxford Union in Michaelmas Term, for a debate on whether “This house believes that the United Kingdom should withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights” (ECHR).
Braverman previously attended the Oxford Union in Hilary Term 2025, in which she was a guest speaker during a Q&A session. This time, however, she will be a member of the proposition for the motion, which will be debated in the Union Chamber on Thursday 22 October (Week 2).
During her last appearance at the Oxford Union, Braverman was still a member of the Conservative Party. However, earlier this year, Braverman defected to Reform UK, rounding off a fortnight of high profile defections to Nigel Farage’s party, that also included former Immigration Minister and Conservative leadership contender Robert Jenrick, and veteran Tory MP Andrew Rosindell.
Her last appearance at the Oxford Union also saw at least 50 protestors, mainly from Oxford Action for Palestine, both outside and inside the debate chamber, with Braverman being interrupted twice by hecklers. Braverman remarked to The Telegraph after her previous appearance that the presence of these protestors, and the need for a police presence of more than ten officers, demonstrated that free speech was “in crisis”.
The Oxford Blue can also reveal that Braverman will be joined in arguing for the proposition by two members of her former party: Lord Wolfson, who serves as Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales in Kemi Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet; and Lord Lilley, a long-time former cabinet minister, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, as well as a lifelong Eurosceptic.
The proposition will be completed by Martin Howe KC, a former Conservative member, who left the party in February 2024, announcing he would support Reform UK in that year’s General Election. He is the Chairman of the organisation “Lawyers for Britain”, an organisation founded to advocate for a Leave vote in the 2016 European Union Referendum.
Membership of the ECHR has been a difficult topic for the right of British politics in recent years. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson ran into difficulty with his agreement with Rwanda in 2022. This plan was first announced by Johnson in April 2022, with the intention to see illegal immigrants removed from the United Kingdom and “relocated to Rwanda”. The first relocation flight in June 2022 was blocked however, with an eleventh hour appeal to the ECHR blocking the inaugural flight of deportations from taking off. Furthermore, in 2024, ministers admitted they were willing to ignore the court if it meant the flights taking off and the plan getting in motion. The Conservatives, however, then lost power at the General Election six months later.
Both the Conservatives and Reform UK now advocate for withdrawing from the ECHR, should either of their parties enter government following the next General Election, which is expected to be in 2029. This comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham ruled out an early election last week.
The full Oxford Union termcard will be released on Thursday 1 October.
For more information on the Oxford Union, as well as other information on Oxford life, and articles from our editorial team for Michaelmas Term 2026, check out our Freshers’ Guide!