Suella Braverman, an Indian-origin barrister, was on Tuesday appointed as the UK's new Home Secretary, succeeding colleague of Indian descent Priti Patel.
The 42-year-old Conservative Party member of Parliament for Fareham in south-east England, who until now served as the Attorney General in the Boris Johnson-led government, was among the first contenders to throw her hat in the ring to replace Johnson as Tory leader and Prime Minister.
Braverman was named as the Home Secretary by newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The mother of two children is the daughter of Hindu Tamil mother Uma and Goan-origin father Christie Fernandes. Her mother migrated to the UK from Mauritius while her father migrated from Kenya in the 1960s.
"I want to embed the opportunities of Brexit and tidy up the outstanding issues and cut taxes, said Braverman, a prominent member of the pro-Brexit wing of the Conservatives who wants a clear break from Europe, including taking the UK out of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
They loved Britain. It gave them hope. It gave them security. This country gave them an opportunity. I think my background's really informed by my approach to politics, said Braverman about her parents in her leadership campaign launch video in July. Braverman is known for her pro-Brexit stand.
Braverman was educated at Heathfield School in London and studied law at Queens’ College, Cambridge, after which she completed a master's degree in European and French law at Pantheon-Sorbonne University.
She married Rael Braverman in 2018 and her maternity leave famously brought about an overdue legal change last year to allow her to remain a Cabinet minister while away to give birth to their second child.
Braverman is a Buddhist who attends the London Buddhist Centre regularly and took her oath of office in Parliament on the Dhammapada scripture of Lord Buddha's sayings. In 2005, Braverman started her political career, contesting the general election from Leicester East. She became an MP for Fareham in May 2015. she was then re-elected in 2017 and 2019. Braverman served as Attorney General from February 2020 to September 2022.
