Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has criticised Home Secretary, Priti Patel, for calling protesters at Saturday’s pro-Palestinian rally “hate marchers” and accused police of bias. Shapps refused to say whether Patel would remain in post. Patel thanked police for their “professionalism in the face of violence and aggression” after the Met made over a hundred arrests on Saturday. The “vast majority” of those arrested were counter-protesters.
The controversy surrounding Patel’s remarks has increased pressure for her to be dismissed. Labour shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, called for Patel to resign, saying that she could not “continue to do this job” due to her “appalling and unprecedented attack” on the Metropolitan Police’s impartiality. In contrast, ex-cabinet minister Nadine Dorries said criticism of Patel was “steeped in misogyny and sexism” and accused Rishi Sunak of responsibility for the controversy. Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford both called for Patel to resign due to comments that they described as putting people in danger.
In an article for The Times, Patel alleged police bias in allowing the pro-Palestinian march to proceed while taking a strong stance against right-wing protesters. She claimed that “pro-Palestinian mobs” were “largely ignored” while aggressive right-wing protesters received a “stern response”. However, the Met responded with a warning that any action which could incite violence would be investigated.
Shapps said that he “wouldn’t put it in those particular set of words” as police had a difficult job “in managing marches which contain large numbers of people”. The government is currently investigating how Patel’s article was published without the edits they had requested.
Patel has responded to criticism and protests with continued calls for action against antisemitism, stating it was a “national concern”. She claimed Jewish people “feel threatened” and said that “further action is necessary
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