Priti Patel, Britain's hardline home secretary, exposes the fault lines of a divided country

"She knows how to press the buttons of her supporters and of her opponents," Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University and the creator of books on the Conservative Party and the rise of populism in Europe, advised CNN."In some ways, she symbolizes the polarization she's trying to create."

Tough phrases however missed targets on migration

Few politicians tackle the job of home secretary with the expectation that they are going to be appreciated.The Home Office, which tackles migration, policing, terrorism and different components of nationwide safety, "covers a lot of the most divisive briefs in politics -- and quite a number of occupants have become divisive figures," Rob Ford, a politics professor at Manchester University and the creator of a number of books on British politics, advised CNN.But Patel has proven a willingness to select battles over unpopular pillars of politics. Wednesday's Channel tragedy locations a highlight as soon as once more on a difficulty with which she has grow to be synonymous: unlawful migration into Britain, and more broadly, the authorities's remedy of migrants, asylum-seekers and international nationals who search to relocate in the UK. "She speaks the language of the socially conservative right very fluently," Ford mentioned. "It's not the first language of Boris Johnson," however Patel's "nationalistic, threat-focused, sometimes authoritarian worldview" has endeared her to giant segments of the Conservative grassroots, he mentioned.It riles up opponents in equal measures. On Thursday Labour MP Zarah Sultana wrote that Patel "ended safe routes for refugees. She consistently demonises them ... She's disgraceful." Human rights lawyer Shoaib M. Khan accused her of "repeating dangerous myths" about asylum seekers. Last month, when it was reported that Patel is planning a purpose-built reception middle for migrants that may require them to observe strict guidelines, Khan added: "I could ask this about every single Priti Patel plan, but what possible purpose can this serve?"Patel mentioned on Wednesday that the catastrophe "serves as the starkest possible reminder of the dangers of these Channel crossings organized by ruthless criminal gangs." In Parliament on Thursday, she mentioned there may be "no quick fix" to the concern of unlawful migration, calling the incident "a dreadful shock" however "not a surprise."French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Friday revoked his invitation for Patel to affix a assembly in Calais on Friday, after Johnson wrote and launched to the media a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron calling on him to take again migrants who journey to the UK by boat.Patel has ceaselessly vowed contemporary crackdowns on such journeys, and has touted Brexit as a chance to take management of migration into Britain. In late 2019, she pledged with French ministers to scale back Channel crossings by half in a matter of months, and make them an "infrequent phenomenon" by the finish of 2020.

But they've as a substitute elevated on her watch; greater than 25,000 folks have arrived by boat this 12 months, in line with Home Office figures, thrice greater than in 2020. And whether or not Britain is inside or exterior the EU, it stays the endpoint of a lengthy and sophisticated migration route via Europe over which Patel has little management.Politically talking, some wonder if it even issues. "A forever war on immigration is functional for the government," Bale mentioned. "If you can't do very much about it, why not have someone in there who carries the message and winds up your opponents?"But polls present immigration has decreased as a precedence amongst the public lately -- and failing to ship on guarantees may depart Johnson's authorities outflanked on immigration points by populist rivals.That sentiment is already seeping into her personal occasion. John Hayes, a Conservative backbencher, advised Patel in the House of Commons on Thursday: People who voted to take again management have each proper to ask the query: "If you cannot protect the integrity of the borders, what can you control?""The danger is that If you increase the salience of the issue, and you're completely unsuccessful in managing it, you can create a real problem in expectations," Bale mentioned. "I think Patel risks doing exactly the same."

A chequered political previous

Patel arrived at the Home Office as a rising star inside Conservative ranks, however her status had already been bruised by scandal.

"In the civil service, that is not the sort of thing that is going to enhance her reputation," mentioned Alex Thomas, a program director at the Institute for Government assume tank, and a former high-ranking civil servant and principal personal secretary to Jeremy Heywood, the cupboard secretary."That leaves an imprint," he mentioned. "Some (civil servants) have worked well with her ... but there are others for whom that leaves a long shadow."The report got here after a public spat and the resignation of Patel's everlasting secretary, however Patel finally maintained the backing of Johnson. "There aren't that many politicians who would get away with that, which suggests she has a special place in (Johnson's) strategy, or even his heart," Bale mentioned.

The outrage that adopted claimed the profession of then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd and tarnished May's personal status. Patel has pledged to study classes from the scandal, which occurred earlier than she took the submit, however critics say she has finished little to vary attitudes and refused to prioritize reform at the division.

Her intractable method sparks steady criticism from opposition benches. Last 12 months, when it was reported Patel thought of a proposal to ship asylum-seekers to the British territories of Ascension Island and St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of miles away from the UK, Labour's shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds known as the thought "ludicrous" and "inhumane."

A Home Office spokesperson advised CNN: "The Home Secretary and the department remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that members of the Windrush generation receive every penny of compensation that they are entitled to. The Home Secretary overhauled the Scheme in December to ensure more money is paid more quickly -- since then the amount of compensation paid has risen from less than £3 million to over £31.6 million, with a further £5.6 million having been offered."

'A real tradition warrior'

For all the political battles she has survived, Patel appears to most fondly relish a chance to goad the faultlines in Britain's social dialog. She has known as Black Lives Matter protests "dreadful," Extinction Rebellion campaigners "eco-crusaders turned criminals," and, after activists eliminated a bust of slave dealer Edward Colston in Bristol final 12 months, Patel mentioned "it's not for mobs to tear down statues."

"She has a following of the grassroots, and she winds opponents of the party up so that they engage in the culture wars that they're probably best leaving well alone," Bale mentioned.

"She is a genuine culture warrior," he added." I think many in the government indulge in that kind of thing because they think it works for the party -- but I think Priti Patel actually believes that a lot of British institutions are full of woke snowflakes that don't represent ordinary people."There have been occasions when Patel's reflexive opposition to social points have put her out of step with the nation at giant. When a part of English soccer followers booed the nationwide workforce's gamers for taking a knee earlier than video games -- an anti-racism gesture that has been adopted throughout the sport in the previous 12 months -- Patel stood by the supporters, and dismissed the knee as "gesture politics" in an interview with GB News. But weeks later, as soon as England's advance to the later rounds of the competitors had drawn in a captivated nation, Patel was posting footage of herself cheering the workforce at a TV display, draped in an England shirt. She was condemned by the workforce's center-back Tyrone Mings quickly after for "stoking the fire" of racism in soccer. Nonetheless, some argue that Patel's background makes her a notably efficient flag-bearer for the Conservatives' broader social agenda. "She can bring a perspective to the table (that) takes the conversation in a slightly different direction," Ford mentioned. He famous the typical claims by opponents on the left that the Conservative Party pursues racist insurance policies, including: "Those lines just don't land as effectively when they're directed as an ethnic minority women, and indeed they can backfire."Patel's identify continues to be listed amongst potential Conservative leaders, and her standing as a grassroots firebrand would possible assist in any management election for management of the occasion. But, as a politician who has not often been removed from scandal, division and social debate, it's unlikely she is going to attempt to shed her schismatic political type."That's her brand," mentioned Thomas. "And she's leaning into it."