Suella Braverman has been mocked for saying she visited a non-existent “land border” between Italy and Turkey – even though the two countries are hundreds of miles apart.
The former Tory Home Secretary, who was a guest host on LBC radio on Thursday morning, ranted about visiting a wall built by Italy to curb migration. She told listeners: “Italy have reinforced their borders. They built a wall. I went to see that wall.
“They built a wall on the land border between Italy and Turkey. They’ve got drones. They’ve got armoured vehicles. They’ve got soldiers. The numbers crossing that border have plummeted.”
But Ms Braverman, who was sacked as Home Secretary, was swiftly ridiculed on X/Twitter, with users questioning how she went to see a wall on a border that could not exist.
Author Sunder Katwala said: “Suella Braverman claims to have been to the Italy/Turkey land border & seen a wall there! A remarkable claim since the countries are not neighbours!” And author Tim Brannigan simply posted a photo of a map with Italy and Turkey circled – clearly showing them nowhere near each other.
Other users joked that she needs to take GCSE Geography – and questioned how she could have ever become Home Secretary. Others posted gifs comparing it to a moment from TV show The Thick of It, which mocks politicians at the heart of government.
Author Otto English, who posted a gif of a cartoon girl riding a horse over a rainbow, said: “Suella Braverman has just told LBC listeners that not only has Italy built a wall on ‘its border with Turkey’ but that she has been there ‘and seen it.’ What a loss to politics.”
Ms Braverman herself was later forced to admit she’d made a mistake. She wrote on X/ Twitter: “Great to join LBC this morning. Thanks for all your great calls. Good discussions on small boats, Israel and Labour’s education policies… And, obviously I meant Greece’s land border with Turkey which I was honoured to visit. It’s been very successful!”
In November 2023, a week before she was sacked, Ms Braverman visited Greece to see how it had managed to reduce migration numbers. Among its tactics, the country built a 16ft steel fence along 22 miles of its border with Turkey.
In November 2023, Rishi Sunak sacked Ms Braverman after she was accused of inspiring ugly clashes between police and far-right thugs at the Cenotaph. A string of cabinet colleagues distanced themselves from her claim that forces “play favourites” with protest groups as critics demanded her sacking.