Priti Patel

## Signature

**Priti Sushil Patel** (born 29 March 1972) is a British politician who is currently serving as Chief Secretary of the Treasury and Conservative Party Chairwoman. Patel has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Witham since 2010. She is ideologically on the right wing of the Conservative Party; she considers herself to be a Thatcherite and has attracted attention for her socially conservative stances.

Patel was born in London to a Ugandan-Indian family. She was educated at Keele University and the University of Essex. Inspired to get involved in politics by the Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, she was involved with the Referendum Party before switching allegiance to the Conservatives. She worked for the public relations consultancy firm Weber Shandwick for several years before seeking a political career. After she unsuccessfully contested Nottingham North at the 2005 general election, the new Conservative leader David Cameron recommended Patel for the party's "A-List" of prospective parliamentary candidates. She was elected MP for Witham, a new seat in Essex, at the 2010 general election, and was then re-elected in 2015. As a backbencher, Patel was vice-chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel and co-wrote a number of papers and books, including *After the Coalition* (2011) and *Britannia Unchained* (2012).

## Early Life

Patel was born on 29 March 1972 to Sushil and Anjana Patel in London. Her paternal grandparents were born in Gujarat, India, before emigrating to Uganda, and running a convenience store in Kampala. In the 1960s, her parents emigrated to the UK and settled in Hertfordshire. They established a chain of newsagents in London and the South East of England. She was raised in a Hindu household. Her father Sushil was a UKIP candidate for Hertfordshire in 2013.

She attended a comprehensive school in Watford, Hertfordshire before going on to study economics at Keele University and then pursuing postgraduate studies in British government and politics at the University of Essex.

The former Conservative leader and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher became her political heroine: according to Patel, she "had a unique ability to understand what made people tick, households tick and businesses tick. Managing the economy, balancing the books and making decisions—not purchasing things the country couldn't afford". She joined the Conservative Party in 1991, when John Major was prime minister.

## Early Political Career

After graduating, Patel became an intern at Conservative Central Office (now known as Conservative Campaign Headquarters), having been selected by Andrew Lansley (then Head of the Conservative Research Department). From 1995 to 1997, Patel headed the press office of the Referendum Party, a single-issue Eurosceptic party.

In 1997, Patel rejoined the Conservative Party having been offered a post to work for the new leader William Hague in his press office, dealing with media relations in London and the South East of England. In August 2003, the *Financial Times* (*FT*) published an article citing quotes from Patel and alleging that "racist attitudes" persisted in the Conservative Party, and that "there's a lot of bigotry around". Patel wrote to the *FT* countering its article stating that her comments had been misinterpreted to imply that she had been blocked as a party candidate because of her ethnicity.

## Tenure as Chancellor

Upon the election of Dame Theresa May as Conservative Leader and Prime Minister, Hargreaves was promoted from Business Secretary to Chancellor. He's served as Chancellor since the 25th of May 2015. As Chancellor, he's been known as uncompromising and unyielding, with the Newspaper **Guido Fawkes** describing him as a man who *"Rattles"* some of his Cabinet colleagues.

### HMRC & Tax Avoidance Reform

On the 14th of July 2015, Chancellor Hargreaves gave a statement outside the Treasury offices in Whitehall, in it, he announced reforms to the powers of the HMRC and additional powers to tackle the Tax Gap.

He said the following:

> *"The Treasury, after the next budget has been passed will be working cross-department, with the Home Office and Justice Department, to establish a joint-interdepartmental committee to draft a plan of what powers can be conferred to HMRC to ensure that the Tax Gap and future Tax Avoidance is eliminated in the years to come."*
> *"In so doing, the Treasury will allocate £560 Million to the HMRC and the Committee in question, as a means of securing an end to the ever-present situation of continual tax avoidance."*
>
> - Chancellor Hargreaves, 14 July 2015

He described Tax Avoidance as

> *"unacceptable and incompatible with a fair society, and with a balanced budget."*
>
> - Chancellor Hargreaves, 14 July 2015

### Cabinet Salary Reform

On the 18th of August 2015, Chancellor Hargreaves gave a statement outside Treasury offices, in the statement he barred all Cabinet Minister without policy oversight from ever receiving a Government Salary. Although, as Guido Fawkes pointed out, this *"affects almost solely the Deputy Prime Minister."* They also described this as a *"Bold move from the Chancellor"* while also saying that *"this has rattled other Cabinet Ministers close to the Deputy Prime Minister."*

#### Relationship with Cabinet Colleagues

Chancellor Hargreaves' relationships with his fellow members of the Cabinet have been strained to say the least, with sources from inside Cabinet even saying that, with cabinet members who refused to accept Treasury policy, he would raise his voice and begin *"putting the Minister in his place,"* although they also report that *"this method is yet to fail in delivering government policy."*

The Cabinet Office investigation into the Chancellor's conduct found that *"His approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that may be described as brash or bombastic"*

### Spending Review & Autumn Statement 2015

In October 2015, the Chancellor gave his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons. The statement was praised by supporters and critics alike as a "marvelous way of balancing fiscal and compassionate conservatism."

The Autumn Statement promised pay increases above inflation for teachers, 55 new hospitals by 2021, upgrades to every area of public service, while at the same time tackling tax avoidance, and overall, balancing the budget by 2020. The OBR Forecast that the Government is on full track to achieve a balanced budget by the fiscal year 2020/2021. This is not an exhaustive list and there are many more policies.

The Shadow Chancellor's, George Balls, response was described by parliamentary sources as *"all over the place,"* *"a complete mess"* and *"a feckless shambles."* His response mainly consisted of, as Chancellor Hargreaves described them, *"Stupid rhetorical questions"* and *"petty ideological labels."* By all accounts, Hargreaves made mincemeat of Balls. With Balls at one point even demanding a cut to the rate of tax, Hargreaves pounced back and said the following:

> *"Mr. Speaker, on his final point, he says we should cut the bottom rate of tax. My lord Mr. Speaker. A CUT TO TAX. During an economic crisis with a deficit looming over, he wants to damage our long-term security for what? For short-term political advantage. In this party we stand as the defenders of Britain's economy, of fiscal competence. In that, in removing all doubt that they will never cut down the deficit and balance the budget. They have proven that they are not a party with a shred of economic credibility."'*
>
> - Chancellor Hargreaves, October 2015

### Armed Forces Bank Holiday

Days after the Labour Party proposed a bill to create Armed Forces Day a Bank Holiday, the Chancellor consulted with Civil Servants and declared Armed Forces a Bank Holiday on the 3rd Saturday of June by Statutory Instrument.

### The Acquired Brain Injury Bill

The Labour Party, in supporting a bi-partisan campaign, proposed a bill which would require the Health Secretary to draft a strategy and would require Treasury funds in a non-specified period of time. The Treasury refused to confer upon it a signature of funding permission, so the Chancellor decided that the bill was worth fighting for, so he decided to meet with the Shadow Health Secretary to attempt to reach a reasoned conclusion.

### May Resignation

In November 2015, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, resigned. She blamed the need for her resignation on "dominant male figures who want to topple you." She specifically mentioned *"even one next door to the very building I am in front of, the Chancellor of the Exchequer."* Her final action as PM was to sack Mr. Hargreaves.

The accusations were later proven false by a Cabinet office investigation.

#### Accusations & Investigation

Mr. Hargreaves, after having been accused of sexism and bullying by May, commissioned an investigation into himself. The investigation by the Cabinet office established that *"The Chancellor had consistently met the high standards required by the ministerial code of treating his civil servants and colleagues with dignity and respect."*

It goes on to say *"His approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that may be described as* **brash or bombastic**, *but we are unable to substantiate the allegations made by the former Prime Minister."*

#### Restoration as Chancellor

Mr. Hargreaves was re-appointed as Chancellor upon the election of Prime Minister Thomas L. Dennison.

In response to the accusations made by Theresa May, Hargreaves decided to set a new rule on Prime Ministerial Pensions, that no Prime Minister can take a Treasury Pension after having served less than two Parliamentary years. The decision has been praised as a democratic reform, however critics say the timing and the accusations were deciding factors.