Former Home Secretary Priti Patel is preparing to enter the Tory leadership race to replace Rishi Sunak as the opposition leader. Patel, 52, secured her seat in Witham, Essex with a comfortable margin despite her party’s significant defeat in the recent general election.
Sunak, who resigned on July 5 following the Labour party’s landslide victory, will serve as interim opposition leader until the election process for his successor is finalized by the 1922 Committee.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Patel has been urged by colleagues to run and has quietly assembled a campaign team. “Priti has kept a low profile and done her best to support others; she feels colleagues also need time to digest the general election result and don’t want posturing in the media from prospective candidates,” a source close to Patel said.
Patel, who has served in various senior roles under Theresa May and Boris Johnson, took her oath as a re-elected MP in the House of Commons last week. “It is an honor to once again be elected to Parliament by the great people of the Witham constituency, and it was a privilege to swear the Oath of Allegiance to His Majesty the King,” she said on social media.
She has appointed a treasurer and campaign staff, including former Conservative Campaign Headquarters staff, for her leadership bid. Patel may face competition from other former Cabinet ministers, including Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick, as well as shadow minister Kemi Badenoch and Tom Tugendhat.
The 1922 Committee, which has elected Bob Blackman as its new chair, is expected to finalize the guidelines for the leadership contest soon.
