London: By my own admission, UK Home Secretary Priti PatelThe tough stance on immigration may have deterred his own parents from coming to the UK but it has made him a darling of the right.
However, he is now in danger of alienating his conservative base following his plan to stop illegal crossings of the Channel by sending asylum seekers into Rwanda.
Patel insisted that he “won’t be intimidated” when it emerged that all migrants sent by plane earlier to Rwanda had been turned away following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday night.
The failure to address the highly contentious issue, at a time when migrant crossing numbers are reaching record highs, will add to pressure from all sides.
Patel is already upset with his performance on Ukrainian asylum seekers, which has led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sideline him and appoint a new refugee minister.
All this amounts to a fall in the fortunes of 50-year-old Patel, who has survived a dismissal from the government and an internal report of alleged bullying of civil servants.
A free marketer and a strong supporter of Brexit, Patel’s tough stance on immigration has been a hallmark of his time in charge of the Home Office, despite his own family background.
Unveiling Britain’s new “points-based” immigration model upon exiting the European Union, Patel admitted on LBC radio in February 2020 that the system would have excluded people like her parents.
They are Gujarati Indians from Ugandan who fled to Britain in the 1960s and set up a chain of newspaper shops shortly before dictator Idi Amin expelled Asians from the East African country.
Her political heroine Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a farmer, and Patel says she shares the former Tory prime minister’s dedication to small business, hard work and frugality.
In a 2012 interview she said, “Coming from a country where you are persecuted means you want to work hard and contribute to the society where you end up.”
Patel said that her family’s Hindu values, as well as her experiences of racist abuse while growing up in Watford, north of London, fueled her determination to succeed.
After attending university, Patel headed the press office for the short-lived anti-EU referendum party in the 1997 general election, before becoming involved in the Conservative leadership’s media operation.
He left in 2000 to work in public and corporate relations, including at the beverage multinational Diageo.
Then Conservative leader David Cameron placed Patel on the so-called A-list of potential MPs and secured him a seat in the 2010 general election, before appointing him as a junior minister in 2014.
But when he tried to move conservatives into more liberal territory, he voted against introducing gay marriage.
Patel broke ties with Cameron to campaign for Brexit alongside Johnson in the 2016 referendum.
Cameroon’s successor Theresa May appointed Patel as International Development Secretary when she took office in July 2016. It was short lived.
May sacked him in November 2017, when it emerged that Patel had pursued his own independent diplomacy during a family holiday in Israel – including a meeting with then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – without the Foreign Office or Downing Street. informed to.
But when he took office from May in July 2019, Johnson brought Patel back into the cabinet in an even senior role, in charge of the sprawling Home Office.
While some cabinet members fell silent over allegations of lockdown-violating parties in Downing Street, Patel stands four-square behind Johnson.
Interviewed by Sky News in January, Patel said she “spends all her time during the day” supporting the prime minister.
In the coming few months, she’ll be hoping the loyalty will pay off.
However, he is now in danger of alienating his conservative base following his plan to stop illegal crossings of the Channel by sending asylum seekers into Rwanda.
Patel insisted that he “won’t be intimidated” when it emerged that all migrants sent by plane earlier to Rwanda had been turned away following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday night.
The failure to address the highly contentious issue, at a time when migrant crossing numbers are reaching record highs, will add to pressure from all sides.
Patel is already upset with his performance on Ukrainian asylum seekers, which has led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to sideline him and appoint a new refugee minister.
All this amounts to a fall in the fortunes of 50-year-old Patel, who has survived a dismissal from the government and an internal report of alleged bullying of civil servants.
A free marketer and a strong supporter of Brexit, Patel’s tough stance on immigration has been a hallmark of his time in charge of the Home Office, despite his own family background.
Unveiling Britain’s new “points-based” immigration model upon exiting the European Union, Patel admitted on LBC radio in February 2020 that the system would have excluded people like her parents.
They are Gujarati Indians from Ugandan who fled to Britain in the 1960s and set up a chain of newspaper shops shortly before dictator Idi Amin expelled Asians from the East African country.
Her political heroine Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a farmer, and Patel says she shares the former Tory prime minister’s dedication to small business, hard work and frugality.
In a 2012 interview she said, “Coming from a country where you are persecuted means you want to work hard and contribute to the society where you end up.”
Patel said that her family’s Hindu values, as well as her experiences of racist abuse while growing up in Watford, north of London, fueled her determination to succeed.
After attending university, Patel headed the press office for the short-lived anti-EU referendum party in the 1997 general election, before becoming involved in the Conservative leadership’s media operation.
He left in 2000 to work in public and corporate relations, including at the beverage multinational Diageo.
Then Conservative leader David Cameron placed Patel on the so-called A-list of potential MPs and secured him a seat in the 2010 general election, before appointing him as a junior minister in 2014.
But when he tried to move conservatives into more liberal territory, he voted against introducing gay marriage.
Patel broke ties with Cameron to campaign for Brexit alongside Johnson in the 2016 referendum.
Cameroon’s successor Theresa May appointed Patel as International Development Secretary when she took office in July 2016. It was short lived.
May sacked him in November 2017, when it emerged that Patel had pursued his own independent diplomacy during a family holiday in Israel – including a meeting with then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – without the Foreign Office or Downing Street. informed to.
But when he took office from May in July 2019, Johnson brought Patel back into the cabinet in an even senior role, in charge of the sprawling Home Office.
While some cabinet members fell silent over allegations of lockdown-violating parties in Downing Street, Patel stands four-square behind Johnson.
Interviewed by Sky News in January, Patel said she “spends all her time during the day” supporting the prime minister.
In the coming few months, she’ll be hoping the loyalty will pay off.