Suella Braverman slap joke 'disgraceful', says MP

Suella Braverman says a joke a comedian made about slapping her was "disgraceful", following the murder of Anne Widdecombe.

Dame Meera Syal, known for her roles in Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42, appeared at Cheltenham Literature Festival on Sunday, and discussed comments Braverman made on Question Time.

The Reform UK MP for Fareham and Waterlooville said on the show on 1 October: "I'm not an English person; I am of Asian origin…. Why are the English the only group of people on the earth who cannot have a distinct identity?"

At the festival, Dame Meera said she would be interested to know what happened to Braverman during childhood, claiming she "either needs a hug or a slap".

Dame Meera was born to Indian parents in Wolverhampton, and her new memoir, Vigilauntie, which she discussed at Cheltenham Literature Festival, covers her experiences of motherhood, identity and the legacy of Partition.

When Britain granted India independence in 1947, the territory it had ruled over was divided, or partitioned, into India and the new state of Pakistan, with East Pakistan later becoming Bangladesh.

An upsurge of violence ensued, with an estimated one million deaths and 15 million people displaced.

Dame Meera said at the festival that Braverman's comments were divisive and could undo a lot of progress.

She said her own character in Goodness Gracious Me allowed British Asian women to feel represented through a major TV character, and thought she would have to retrain after finishing acting school due to a lack of roles for women of her background.

Braverman, who is also of Indian descent, posted on X on 22 September: "As I've said before, I'm not English.

"I'm proud to be British. My family and ancestors have a link to Britain which spans centuries. But in no way are we English."

Braverman also asserted "Englishness is an ethnicity", adding to call herself as such would deny her of her Asian heritage.

In response to the comments made by Dame Meera, a spokesperson for Braverman referred "two sitting MPs [that have] have been killed" and to the death of Ann Widdecome. A man has been charged with her murder.

"For a comedian to think [about] joking about attacking a politician is disgraceful.

"Mrs Syal is welcome to buy Mrs Braverman's new book, 'Patriot: Empire, Betrayal, and Hope' which discusses these questions in detail or to reach out to Mrs Braverman's office directly."

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