Priti Patel is new UK’s first Indian-origin Home Secretary

Priti Patel is new UK’s first Indian-origin Home Secretary: Profile, Career, Highlights

Indian-origin MP, Priti Patel (47-year-old) has taken charge as UK’s first Indian-origin home secretary.

Priti Patel was appointed by new UK PM Boris Johnson. She succeeded Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid, who was elevated as the first ethnic minority Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Priti Patel is the senior-most Indian-origin MP in Boris Johnson’s cabinet. Her position is the third most important in the British government alongside that of the foreign secretary. It would put her in charge of national security, fighting terrorism, tackling crime and extremism and dealing with illegal immigration.

Besides Priti Patel, Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has been elevated to the position of chief secretary to the treasury. He previously served as a junior minister in the department for housing, local government, and communities.

The third Indian-origin member of the cabinet includes Alok Sharma. Sharma has been promoted to the role of secretary of state for international development. He previously served as minister of state for employment.

Priti Patel

Priti Patel was elected as a Conservative MP for the first time from Witham, Essex in 2010. She gained prominence under the then David Cameron-led Tory government as Indian Diaspora Champion, a champion of India-UK ties.

Priti Patel later served at junior ministerial posts, as treasury minister in 2014 and employment minister after the 2015 general election. She was elevated to the position of secretary of state in the Department for International Development (DfID) in 2016 by Theresa May.

She was, however, forced to quit in 2017 for breaching the ministerial code by holding unauthorized meetings with Israeli politicians.