Patel, Dorries quit amid UK PM Truss takeover

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British Home Secretary Priti Patel and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries announced that they were stepping down ahead of the cabinet reshuffle taking place due to incoming UK Prime Minister Liz Truss taking the country's reigns on Tuesday.

As Patel leaves her post as Home Secretary, Conservative lawmakers said governmental attorney-general Suella Braverman was the candidate most likely to be promoted to the now-empty seat.

A political figure with highly controversial policies, Patel has been criticized numerous times by Britons for her "racist" policies, which include the implementation of London's plan to arbitrarily deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The plan was eventually canceled, however, after the European Union intervened and prevented Boris Johnson's cabinet from taking such action.

The UN refugee agency has criticized the policy as "all wrong" in the past, but Truss was adamant about defending it, citing that human-trafficking gangs would be broken up. 

Dorries stepped down from office despite being an avid supporter of the incoming Prime Minister who even offered her to stay in her post, The Daily Mail reported on Monday.

The two ministers tendered their resignations just hours after Truss was named Prime Minister following a weeks-long campaign against former minister of the exchequer Rishi Sunak.

"I congratulate Liz Truss on being elected our new Leader, and will give her my support as our new Prime Minister," Patel said in her resignation letter to current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, posted on Twitter.

It has been the honour of my life to serve as Home Secretary for the last three years.

I am proud of our work to back the police, reform our immigration system and protect our country.

My letter to Prime Minister @BorisJohnson 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/seTx6ikX25

— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) September 5, 2022

"It is my 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," the outgoing minister added.

By replacing former PM Boris Johnson, who will officially resign on Tuesday, Truss will become the Tories' fourth prime minister since the 2015 election, at a time when the country faces a cost of living crisis, industrial unrest, and a recession with sky-rocketing inflation which hit 10.1% in July.

Truss not only promised to act quickly to tackle Britain's cost of living crisis, but a campaign insider also confirmed Monday that upon winning the election, the Tory leader plans to freeze the energy bills to relieve British households from the economic burdens, even indicating during her campaign the plan to scrap tax increases and cut other levies in a move some economists say would fuel inflation.

She has stated that she will appoint a strong cabinet, intending to work hard to bring over some lawmakers in her party who had backed Sunak in the race.

In the midst of a global climate crisis, Truss said she would "temporarily" suspend green tax on energy bills, as well as lower the National Insurance introduced during Johnson's term.

Truss admitted that reversing the National Insurance rise would be highly beneficial for those earning a lot of money, accompanying this with a justification that this would benefit the economy overall.

Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would step down following a slew of resignations that hit his government in July in protest of his leadership.