Priti Patel non-appearance

[Jourdain11]

Second attempt!
I think it is peculiar that she hasn't been doing any briefings or other press, as Home Secretary, and wonder if anyone knows why this might be?

I'm guessing that if she were shielding for a health issue or self-isolating with symptoms, something would have been said to avoid speculation.

I wonder if they are planning to play around with the structure - i.e. maybe have a specific "Crisis" Minister in addition to Health (it might be Gove), and with Business etc. taking on more prominence, this might mean the Home Sec's role is diminished somewhat.

Try again ...

She needs to show her face and be put on the spot about why hostile environment measures have not been suspended.

We have lots of migrants who are afraid to access medical care in case they are faced with a huge bill or their details are passed to the home office. We have lots who are not entitled to any benefits. Some also do not have the right to work or rent housing. Some are only allowed to shop in specific shops with a card from the home office. Some are in detention.

www.jcwi.org.uk/protecting-migrants-from-covid-19

All the issues that caused the Windrush scandal are still there. The Lessons Learned review has just been published. We need to learn really fast now.

This politician is hopeless. There is an absence of human feeling in everything they do. Unless being self-serving counts as having human feeling.

I’m not suprised she hasn’t been given much prominence, but I agree with PP she still has questions to answer.

I think they're hiding the most annoying Tories away (see also the invisible JRM). I know it's splitting hairs judging the most annoying Tory, but Priti Patel would just fuck everyone right off.
Or maybe she's ill.

Home office also has responsibility for policing.

It doesn't have to be Priti Patel but someone high up from the home office should do a briefing soon.

Is nobody interested in the home office response to this pandemic?

Nobody cares about the way the police are exercising their new unprecedented powers?

Nobody cares about the effects of the hostile environment on our ability to contain the spread?

I hadn't thought about the policing issue actually, but that is a very good point.

It just seems strange to me! If Gove is considered more capable, then perhaps he should have a bigger job?

I do wonder if it is because she was so much on the ropes with all the bullying allegations immediately prior to this.

Apparently she pissed off BJ by asking for borders to be closed. Everyone not towing the line is disappearing.

They know they need to get as much of the country on side as possible so they're hiding the most divisive figures away. And it's working. Approval ratings are through the roof, comparatively.

Very noticeable absence in current crisis . . . Perhaps an insight that the Conservatives know how disliked that politician is. Very telling the Home Secretary has not been present at a briefing yet Gove and Sharma have!

Yep hiding the dreadful Priti Pstel and JRM

Yeah, but JRM's position is more procedural. He's only relevant when the House is sitting, really. So there would be little point for him to give briefings.

Whereas the Home Secretary.....

@Jinx2020 and Gove and Alok Sharma have both given multiple briefings too! Is it two each?

It doesn't matter if it's Priti Patel or someone else high up in the home office. I don't care about political shenanigans or what someone looks like or how popular they are.

We need a whole government response. We need to know what measures are being put in place by each government department and why. We need to be able to ask them the hard questions.

The home office is notably absent so far.

Where's the Chancellor gone? Has he got Coronavirus?

She’s the Home Secretary, she holds one of the four great offices of state. You would expect her to be involved in briefings. They’ve used the business minister and housing minister fgs.

Either she’s unwell/shielding, they are keeping her out of the public eye because she’s so unpopular, or she’s not fully on-board with the government response but is stopping short of resigning during a national crisis. I think the last one is a distinct possibility.

I think it's for the best in case she talks shit.

BBC article 28th March about her here;

"Domestic abuse victims are allowed to leave home to seek help at refuges despite rules to stop coronavirus spreading, the home secretary has said."

"Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Priti Patel said current restrictions telling people to stay indoors were even harder for people whose "home is not the safe haven it should be"." ...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52081280

The Home Secretary is demonstrating how to stay at home.

@TheSultanofPingu succinctly hit the nail on the head

She has no empathy for any human being who is at all vulnerable or not a millionaire. They are keeping her hidden. Same with Rees Mogg. Terrified they'll make a crass remark that will upset people.

The last thing the nation needs is to see Priti Awful's smirking face right now.

I just read that Priti Patel is giving today's press briefing . Their non-offensive cabinet ministers with a full complement of brain cells and empathy must have left Whitehall for the Easter break.
This should be interesting....

She still can't stop smirking.