- Friday, December 02, 2022
Patel has not backed either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak for the Tory leadership.
By: Pramod Thomas
UK home secretary Priti Patel has made it clear that she wants to stay on in the role under the new leader, media reports said.
She claimed that her ‘record speaks volumes’, adding that it’s up to the next prime minister to take the decision.
Boris Johnson’s successor will be announced on September 5, with Liz Truss still leading the race.
Patel, who has not backed either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak for the Tory leadership, set out her case on Tuesday (23), according to reports.
Asked if she wanted to remain in her role at the Home Office, she told Sky News: “That’s the choice of the next leader.”
“But the fact of the matter is this party was elected with a very clear manifesto commitment to beat crime, cut crime, but also deliver 20,000 more police officers. I think my record in that time speaks volumes.”
She was in the post since Johnson won power in July 2019. She said that she is sad about Johnson leaving the office but is focused on her job now.
Patel said that the low points in her career in the past three years were when ‘people died’.
“You see appalling violence against our police officers. My second week as home secretary we saw the appalling case of PC Andrew Harper. That will live with me forever,” the British Indian minister said.
Her comments came just the day after Britain saw a record number of migrant arrivals. A record 1,295 migrants arrived in the UK on Monday (22) after crossing the English Channel.
Following this, campaigners again called on Patel and the Home Office to drop plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda in a bid to curb crossings.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union and charities Care4Calais, Detention Action and Asylum Aid are challenging the legality of the Rwanda policy, with the next court hearings due in the next month.
Both Truss and Sunak have pledged to push on with the Rwanda “offshoring” policy. The ex-chancellor said on Tuesday that he “will do whatever it takes to make the Rwanda plan work”.
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