‘You’ve reinforced racism’ – Suella Braverman dismantled by Question Time audience member

'I have been on this planet for 54 years and the amount of times I've been told I'm not English, even though I was born here...'

On Thursday, the Reform MP appeared on the BBC programme alongside energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, shadow minister Julia Lopez and journalist Oli Dugmore.

One of the questions that came up was to do with immigration and how we can debate the topic whilst also making sure people don’t feel unwelcome.

The conversation led onto a discussion about Englishness, with Braverman repeating her recent claims that she does not see herself as English, despite being born and raised in England.

The former home secretary claimed she could not be seen as an “indigenous” English person because of her Asian heritage, saying that she instead identified as British-Asian.

The comments drew condemnation from the rest of the panel. But the most powerful moment came when a man in the audience called out Braverman for the impact her words have on other people of colour who have spent their entire lives being told by racists that they are not English.

The man told Braverman she had ‘reinforced the racist argument.’

He continued: “I have been on this planet for 54 years and the amount of times I’ve been told I’m not English, even though I was born here, if I had a penny for every time I’d be a very rich man.”

When asked by Fiona Bruce if he considered himself English, the man said he “absolutely” does.”

Braverman condescendingly asked if she was therefore being “racist against myself”, to which the man replied: “Basically you are.”

The audience member pointed out to Braverman that being ‘indigenous’ to a country simply means being born there, as the MP spouted nonsense about wanting to “pay respect to the English people.”

“No one’s disrespecting English people,” the man hit back.

Later in the programme, Braverman was eviscerated by the New Statesman’s Oli Dugmore, who said her comments were, without explicitly saying it, arguing that you can only be English if you are white.

“And that is a racist point of view,” he said.

This was followed by Bruce putting this claim to Braverman, asking her whether she believed a non-white person could be English.

On five separate occasions, the Fareham and Waterlooville MP refused to give a clear answer.