Suella Braverman will become Secretary of the Interior
Ms Patel’s supporters have been dismayed by reports that Suella Braverman, the current Attorney General who was also a candidate for the leadership, has pledged her job and are fighting for a rear guard who believe she still has a chance of staying on. The Telegraph understands, however, that Ms Patel’s name is not currently being considered for any other Cabinet post. Her decision to remain neutral in the leadership race by refusing to publicly say she supports either candidate appears to have backfired badly. Allies of Ms Patel said her “mood at the moment is home secretary or nothing”, suggesting she would turn down another job even if offered. In particular they appealed to Ms Truss to keep Ms Patel in her current role, insisting her “political skills should not be underestimated” and that she would be a huge asset as the party prepares to fight a general election before 2025. While some cabinet ministers have been told by Ms Truss that they will be given a role if she enters Downing Street, there has been no such contact with Ms Patel, sources said. It came as a surprise to supporters of the Home Secretary, who has been a political ally of Ms Truss since they entered Parliament together in 2010. They pointed out that Ms Patel has lent members of her staff to Truss’s campaign team and has made it privately clear that he supports Ms. Truss. However, she appears to have misjudged the outcome of her decision not to endorse any candidate. Ms Patel believed that by remaining neutral, she could keep her job regardless of who won the leadership – and avoid tipping her hand to civil servants in her department, with whom she would have to maintain a relationship. good relationship. Instead, her silence opened the door for Ms Braverman, who quickly pledged allegiance to Ms Truss when she was kicked out of the leadership contest – taking many of her supporters with her.
