Priti Patel stepped down as UK Home Secretary hours after Liz Truss defeated Rishi Sunak to become the PM. Patel congratulated Liz Truss on being elected as the country’s new leader.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel resigned after Liz Truss was announced as the new head of the Conservative Party (Photo: Reuters)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Priti Patel has decided to resign as the UK Home Secretary
- She promised to give her support to Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister
- Patel expressed deep honour to have worked as the UK Home Secretary
Priti Patel said on Monday that she will stand down as Britain’s Home Secretary, or interior minister, once Liz Truss formally takes over as the country’s prime minister.
Her resignation comes just hours after Truss was named the winner of a Conservative Party leadership contest to become the next prime minister. Truss will take office on Tuesday.
In a letter to outgoing UK PM Boris Johnson, she said, “It has been the honour of my life to serve our country as home secretary for the last three years”, adding that she will now ‘champion many of the policies and causes I have stood up for’ from the backbenches.
“I congratulate Liz Truss on being elected our new Leader, and will give her my support as our new Prime Minister,” Patel said in her resignation letter to Boris Johnson, which she posted on Twitter.
It has been the honour of my life to serve as Home Secretary for the last three years.
I am proud of our work to back the police, reform our immigration system and protect our country.
My letter to Prime Minister @BorisJohnson pic.twitter.com/seTx6ikX25
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) September 5, 2022
“It is my choice to continue my public service to the country and the Witham constituency from the backbenches, once Liz formally assumes office and a new Home Secretary is appointed.”
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She praised Boris Johnson for getting Brexit done and said together they had been ‘relentless’ in trying to dismantle people smugglers.
Defending the controversial Rwanda policy, Priti Patel continued, “It is vital your successor backs all aspects of these policies on illegal immigration to ensure the full implementation and delivery of the new plan.”
Liz Truss defeated former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak through a postal ballot of all Conservative members. Truss secured 81,326 votes while Sunak got 60,399 votes.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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