Priti Patel Resigns As Home Secretary After Liz Truss Elected As Conservative Party Leader
2 min read
Priti Patel has resigned as home secretary and will return to the backbenches following Liz Truss’ confirmation as Conservative Party leader.
She beat Rishi Sunak to the Conservative leadership, securing 57.4 per cent of the vote of the party’s membership.
Patel said it had been the “honour of [her] life” to hold the job and thanked Boris Johnson for his support since she took the job three years ago.
In a letter to outgoing prime minister Johnson this evening, Patel said it was her “choice” to step back from her ministerial role "once Liz formally assumes office and a new home secretary is appointed" and promised to give Truss her support.
Patel told Johnson: “Under your leadership, we have made our country safer, strengthened law and order, delivered our manifesto commitments, and laid strong foundations for our successors at Number 10 and in the Home Office to build on.”
Truss is expected to make ministerial appointments tomorrow, after being formally confirmed as the next Prime Minister with a visit to the Queen.
Truss will fly to Scotland tomorrow to be sworn into office by the Queen at her Balmoral residence before returning to London the same day to make her first speech outside Downing Street.
She will follow outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson who will also travel to Balmoral to formally offer his resignation to the Queen.
Following the announcement of her victory, Truss said: "It's an honour to be elected as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party. I'd like to thank the 1922 Committee, the party chairman and the Conservative Party for organising one of the longest job interviews in history."
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