Priti Patel

The Right Honourable Dame Priti Patel DBE MP
Official portrait, 2021
Home Secretary
In office 24 July 2019 – 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Sajid Javid
Succeeded by	Suella Braverman
Secretary of State for International Development
In office 14 July 2016 – 8 November 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Justine Greening
Succeeded by	Penny Mordaunt
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Employment In office 11 May 2015 – 14 July 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by Esther McVey Succeeded by Damian Hinds Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury In office 15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by David Gauke Succeeded by Damian Hinds
Member of Parliament for Witham
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Constituency established
Majority	5,145 (10.2%)[1]
Personal details
Born	Priti Sushil Patel (1972-03-29) 29 March 1972 (age 52) London, England
Political party	Conservative (1991–1995; since 1997)
Other political affiliations	Referendum (1995–1997)
Spouse(s)	Alex Sawyer ​ (m. 2004)​
Children	1
Alma mater	University of Keele (BA) University of Essex (MPP)
Priti Patel's voice Patel explains the Rwanda asylum plan Recorded 14 April 2022

Priti Sushil Patel^[2] (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Witham in Essex since 2010. She was International Development Secretary from 2016 to 2017. In July 2019, Patel became Home Secretary for the Boris Johnson administration. Patel is a member of the Conservative Party. Her ideas and policies are inspired by Margaret Thatcher.

Patel, a Eurosceptic was a strong supporter of the Brexit campaign in 2016. During her time as Home Secretary, Patel was criticized for her handling of immigration issues and for her asylum deal with Rwanda. During her career, she has been accused of breaking the ministerial code several times.

After the resignation of Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party in July 2024, Patel announced she would run to be the new Tory leader and Leader of the Opposition in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election.

1. ↑ "Election results 2024: Witham". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. ↑ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 19 May 2015 (pt 0001)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 19 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.