• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • FAQ
  • Meet the Team
  • About The London Economic
  • Advertise
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
NEWSLETTER
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Food
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

Is Priti Patel avoiding scrutiny over Home Office’s coronavirus response?

Home Affairs select committee chair Yvette Cooper has repeatedly called on Ms Patel to give evidence in public.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
April 9, 2020
in Politics
Credit:PA

Credit:PA

Home Secretary Priti Patel has been accused by a group of senior MPs of avoiding scrutiny during a time of national emergency.

Ms Patel had been due to give evidence in public on the Home Office’s response to the coronavirus pandemic to the home affairs select committee since January, but a date for a hearing is yet to be set.

Since then, the Home Secretary has been accused of belittling officials at the Home Office, with Sir Philip Rutnam resigning as permanent secretary amid claims of constructive dismissal and bullying.

Home affairs select committee chair Yvette Cooper has written six letters to Ms Patel over the last three months in an effort to officially set a date for the home secretary to give evidence.

Joshua Spencer court case
Labour MP Yvette Cooper has repeatedly called on Ms Patel to provide evidence in public on the Home Office’s response to the coronavirus pandemic (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

After not replying to several of Ms Cooper’s letters, Ms Patel responded on Tuesday, writing that she was “disappointed at the increasingly adversarial tone of our exchanges”.

Very Sorry

She added that she was “very sorry” the committee declined her offer of private briefings at the Home Office, but would “make (herself)… available for a session with the committee, on our response to Covid-19, towards the end of the month”.

In reply, Ms Cooper said the committee was preparing to meet remotely for the hearing on April 15.

RelatedPosts

Bishop of Leeds asks govt to explain why pooled sovereignty is a ‘positive’ with US and a ‘deficit’ with EU

Trust ‘completely destroyed’ in complaints process after Patel bullying row

UK ‘complicit’ in Yemen suffering if aid halved, former minister warns

Watchdog hits out at lack of transparency over government’s Covid ‘tsars’

“We believe that there is no reason for any delay beyond this date,” Ms Cooper said.

“Delaying until the end of the month would clearly be inappropriate given the urgency of the public information and answers that are needed. That is why we need to hold it at the earliest opportunity, and it is why we have been asking you to come to give evidence for very many weeks in continued correspondence.

“We continue to welcome the transparent approach by other ministers including the Justice Secretary, Work and Pensions Secretary, Transport Secretary and Health Secretary who have either given evidence to their select committees already or who have agreed an early date to do so.

National emergency

“This is a time of national emergency where public information, reassurance, leadership, transparency and scrutiny are in the national interest. At a time like this, we therefore expect to see the Home Secretary and senior officials demonstrate public leadership and transparency and to be ready to answer public questions without delay.”

A Home Office spokesperson told The Guardian: “The home secretary has accepted the invitation to appear in front of the home affairs select committee before the end of April.

“As expected, she is currently leading the Home Office response during this national crisis, working tirelessly to keep the British public safe.”

Related – Johnson silent over when he first knew of Priti Patel bullying allegations

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Tags: headline
Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism Support fearless, free, investigative journalism
Please login to join discussion

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending fromTLE

  • All
  • trending

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

Stress, fear and homelessness: The threat looming over families confronted with eviction

File photo dated 07/11/03 of a prison cell.

The Other Prison Pandemic

Latest from TLE

Bishop of Leeds asks govt to explain why pooled sovereignty is a ‘positive’ with US and a ‘deficit’ with EU

Credit;PA

Trust ‘completely destroyed’ in complaints process after Patel bullying row

Gnocchi recipe with Gorgonzola, sage & walnuts 10 Greek Street

How To Make: 10 Greek Street’s Gnocchi with Gorgonzola, Walnuts & Sage

David Cameron is the latest ex-PM to receive a coronavirus vaccine

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: jack@thelondoneconomic.com

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advertise@thelondoneconomic.com

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Film
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech & Auto
  • About The London Economic
  • Meet the Team
  • Privacy policy

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.