Within hours after Boris Johnson was announced as the PM of United Kingdom, it was revealed that he appointed Priti Patel to the post of home secretary. The post previously held by Sajid Javid, is one of the four key positions in Johnson’s cabinet. Sajid Javid in the meanwhile, has been named chancellor in the reshuffle, another key position.
Priti has been known to be close to grassroot Conservative Party MPs, and this certainly makes her an asset. She began her career in politics with being elected MP from Witham, Essex in 2010. She then served as exchequer secretary and a work and pensions minister. She was then appointed international development secretary in 2016 and resigned from the post in 2017. Prior to being a politician, Priti worked as a public relations consultant.
Priti is a pro- Brexiteer, which makes things a bit easier for Johnson. It would be interesting to note that Priti was actually forced to quit from her position as secretary for international development as it was found that she held unauthorised meetings with Israeli leaders, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Known to be an outspoken MP, Patel has been criticised for defending the tobacco and alcohol industry.
Perhaps the only Indian-origin minister in the Johnson cabinet, Priti is also a supporter of PM Modi.
