This Indian-origin MP is likely to succeed Priti Patel as UK home secretary
Priti Patel, who resigned on Monday only hours after Liz Truss was named the next prime minister of the United Kindgom, is expected to be succeeded by another Indian-origin lawmaker – Suella Braverman.
In a letter to outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Patel announced her decision to quit as the UK home secretary or interior minister, and also promised to give her “support” to Truss.
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The 50-year-old Johnson loyalist, and an MP for Witham in Essex, Patel was appointed as the UK home secretary by the outgoing PM in July 2019.
Baverman, on the other hand, is not only expected to succeed Patel but is likely to be the only Indian-origin lawmaker in Truss cabinet, news agency PTI reported.
The 42-year-old Goan-heritage Bavernman currently holds the post of Attorney General. She was also in the prime ministerial race in the UK, but threw her weight behind Truss after getting eliminated in the second round in July.
“Liz is ready now to be PM. She won’t need to learn on the job. And the job is hard and needs to be done properly. The party has had a difficult six years and stability is urgently and swiftly needed,” Braverman had said at the time.
Patel was among only a handful of ministers with top departments in the country who had decided not to back either of the two Conservative Party finalists – Truss or fellow Indian-origin colleague Rishi Sunak.
In her resignation letter, Patel termed her decision to quit as her “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”.
In Parliament, she also praised her former boss – Johnson – and stated she is “proud to serve in this government”. In this process, Patel also asked the interrupting opposition MPs to “shut up”, the PTI report added.
Besides Braverman, other key posts in the new Truss-led cabinet are likely business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng (a close ally) who is being lined up as chancellor of exchequer, and education secretary James Cleverly is to be promoted to foreign secretary. A few incumbent ministers such as defence secretary Ben Wallace and culture secretary Nadine Dorries are expected to retain their respective roles in the new regime.
