In 2020, a Cabinet Office inquiry found that Patel had 'unintentionally breached' the ministerial code but was not found to have broken it
Patel believes her experience will allow her to 'reinvigorate' the party and unite its members
Patel is promising a revolution in the Conservative Party by offering to hand back some control of policy to ordinary party members and allow them to elect key officials
Patel plans to focus on conservative policies on issues including law and order, immigration, and healthcare
Priti Patel announces bid for Conservative Party leadership
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced her bid for the Conservative Party leadership on Saturday, becoming the fifth contender in a race to determine the direction of the Tories following their recent election defeat. Patel believes her political experience will allow her to 'reinvigorate' the party and unite its members.
Patel has been a backbench MP since stepping down as home secretary in 2022 after Boris Johnson's resignation. She plans to focus on conservative policies on issues including law and order, immigration, and healthcare to reverse the party's fortunes. In 2020, a Cabinet Office inquiry found that Patel had 'unintentionally' breached the ministerial code in her behavior towards civil servants but was not found to have broken it.
Rishi Sunak will remain Conservative leader until his successor is announced. Other contenders include James Cleverly, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, and Kemi Badenoch. Patel has been widely expected to run for the leadership.
Patel is promising a revolution in the Conservative Party by offering to hand back some control of policy to ordinary party members and allow them to elect key officials. She wants to put 'authentic Conservative values back into practice.'
However, Patel has accused potential rivals of waging 'personal vendettas' and engaging in a 'soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence.' Kemi Badenoch was reported to have said Suella Braverman was having a 'very public nervous breakdown,' while Badenoch herself accused an unnamed rival of a dirty tricks campaign.
Dame Priti Patel is the fifth Tory MP to announce her leadership bid.
Patel believes her political experience will allow her to 'reinvigorate' the party following its recent election defeat.
Patel has been a backbench MP since stepping down as home secretary in 2022 after the resignation of Boris Johnson.
Patel believes focusing on conservative policies on issues including law and order, immigration, and healthcare will reverse the party's fortunes.
In 2020, a Cabinet Office inquiry into her conduct found that Ms. Patel had 'unintentionally' breached the ministerial code in her behaviour towards civil servants. However, she was not found to have broken the ministerial code and was allowed to remain as home secretary.
Rishi Sunak will remain Conservative leader until his successor is announced.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains a few informal fallacies and an example of inflammatory rhetoric. The author quotes Dame Priti Patel's statements without explicitly endorsing them, so formal logical fallacies are not present.
. . . turn them "back into a winning machine'
Dame Priti is the first woman to throw her hat into the ring to replace Rishi Sunak.
It isn’t our heroic members who failed, but politicians’ distraction from public service.
Patel accused potential rivals of waging ‘personal vendettas’
Badenoch was reported to have said Braverman was having a ‘very public nervous breakdown’
Badenoch accused an unnamed rival of a dirty tricks campaign
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The author, Toby Helm, uses editorializing and sensationalism in his article by describing the leadership race as a 'soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence' and implying that some politicians are having 'nervous breakdowns'. He also selectively reports information by focusing on personal attacks between potential rivals instead of their policies or qualifications. The author does not provide any sources for his information, so it is impossible to determine the accuracy of his statements.
The campaign has already become bitter and personal.
One remarked that 'Most of the people who changed the world for good were notoriously rude. It was the bad people, Idi Amin, Hitler etc who were charming and respectful.'
Badenoch was reported to have said Braverman was having a 'very public nervous breakdown'.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(80%)
The author, Toby Helm, demonstrates bias by using language that depicts some political figures in a negative light and implies personal attacks. He writes that 'some of the more apocalyptic assessments of her colleagues' and refers to 'personal vendettas' and 'self-interest'. The author also quotes Kemi Badenoch accusing an unnamed rival of a dirty tricks campaign, which could be seen as implying bias against that individual. However, no clear examples of extreme or unreasonable language are provided.
But another ex-home secretary, the firebrand rightwinger Suella Braverman, was said to be in danger of falling short of gaining the support of the 10 MPs needed to get through to the next stage.
The former home secretary Priti Patel entered the Tory leadership contest last night, accusing potential rivals of waging ‘personal vendettas’ and indulging in ‘a soap opera of finger-pointing and self-indulgence’.
Dame Priti Patel is promising a revolution in the Conservative Party by offering to hand back some control of policy to ordinary party members and allow them to elect key officials.
Ms Patel wants to put ‘authentic Conservative values back into practice’
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains a few appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. It also uses a dichotomous depiction of the Conservative Party's internal dynamics. However, these fallacies do not reach the level of severity that would significantly undermine the credibility of the reporting.
. . . allowing members to directly elect the chair, rather than leaving the appointment in the hands of the leader.
Reform UK . . . has been criticised for being a “dictatorship” where members have no say.
She believes that giving members a say will also help unite the party again after growing divisions and civil war left it unfit to fight a general election.
Ms Patel . . . has made no secret of her desire to put “authentic” Conservative values back into practice which she believes will help get the party back into government.
Priti Patel is running for leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party.
Patel believes in uniting the party and focusing on values that resonate with the electorate.
Patel advocates for giving people more control over their money and lives, as well as supporting businesses to drive growth.
Law and order is a priority for Patel, who has worked to build up the police force and implement tougher sentences for criminals.
Patel plans to develop fresh policies on various issues such as health, social care, energy, security, community cohesion, immigration, education, childcare and housing.
Patel values the contributions of Conservative Party members and intends to give them a greater role in policy-making and party leadership.
Conservative conferences should be affordable and accessible for all members.
Patel has a track record of winning elections through grassroots efforts, bottom-up campaigning, rebuttal units, and professional party agents.
