Pressure mounts on Patel as Labour calls for her sacking

PRITI PATEL faced growing pressure to step down over the bullying investigation last night as Labour called her position ‘untenable’.

The home secretary (pictured) has been defended by Boris Johnson who called on Conservative MPs to ‘form a square around the Pritster’.

However, sources say the prime minister may sack her anyway for her department’s failure to stop migrants crossing the Channel, according to The

Sunday Times. ‘There is continual frustration that the Home Office has not got a grip on things – the small boats in particular,’ a senior Tory said. Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Labour’s shadow business minister Lucy Powell said Ms Patel had been found to have broken the ministerial code by an independent inquiry and, as such, that made her position ‘completely untenable’. She added: ‘I think it’s appalling the prime minister has decided to back her instead of sacking her.’

But chancellor Rishi Sunak defended his colleague, telling the BBC’s Andrew Marr: ‘On a personal level, I’ve worked closely with Priti and found her to be entirely kind and very focused and passionate about what she does.’

Mr Johnson is reportedly considering Ms Patel for the role of party chairman, with foreign secretary Dominic Raab and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove as possible replacements.

Last week, he dismissed the conclusions of the official inquiry which found she bullied senior civil servants.

Ms Patel has apologised, insisting she ‘never intentionally set out to upset anyone’. Sir Alex Allan, the PM’s adviser on ministerial standards, resigned when Mr Johnson overruled his conclusion.