Published on 11/03/2024 at 15:37 by Lola Bee

Priti Patel: Who is the politician's spouse and does she have children?

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Priti Patel

Priti Patel © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Priti Patel, a British former secretary of state for the Home Department, has had a prosperous political career. She was well-known during Boris Johnson's premiership and is credited as drawing inspiration from Margaret Thatcher. Priti Patel is a well-known figure in the UK who is of Indian and Ugandan descent. Continue reading to learn more about her political career.
 

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Priti Patel's family history

Priti Patel's family history © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Priti Sushil Patel was born on March 29, 1972. While she was born in Islington, London, her parents immigrated to the UK from Uganda. Her grandfather emigrated to Uganda after leaving their birthplace of Gujarat, India. 

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Her husband is Alex Sawyer

Her husband is Alex Sawyer © Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Priti Patel and Alex Sawyer have been married since 2004. Her spouse is a Cabinet Member for Communities and a Conservative councillor for the London Borough of Bexley.

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She married a Conservative councillor

She married a Conservative councillor © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Alex Sawyer, the spouse of the Rt Hon Priti Patel, is employed as a Conservative councillor and Cabinet Member for Communities in the London Borough of Bexley council, situated in South East London.
 

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She has a son, Freddie Sawyer

She has a son, Freddie Sawyer © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Freddie Sawyer is the son of Priti Patel and Alex Sawyer. The now 15-year-old was born in August 2008.

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Schooling

Schooling © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Patel went to Watford, Hertfordshire, comprehensive school. Prior to completing her postgraduate studies in British government and politics at the University of Essex, she studied economics at Keele University.

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Internship at the Conservative Central Office

Internship at the Conservative Central Office © Bloomberg/Getty Images

The British politician was chosen to work as an intern at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after getting her degree.

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A former Viasat employee

A former Viasat employee © Bloomberg/Getty Images

In May 2019, Priti Patel started working for the mobile network provider Viasat. However her time there was short-lived. 

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Former Director at Weber Shandwick

Former Director at Weber Shandwick © Future Publishing/Getty Images

She was then employed by Weber Shandwick as the Corporate and Public Affairs Director.

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The Conservative Party nomination

The Conservative Party nomination © Bloomberg/Getty Images

In 2005, Patel ran in the Nottingham North election as a candidate for the Conservative Party. Leader David Cameron was impressed by her performance even if she failed.

 

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The Conservative A-List

The Conservative A-List © Future Publishing/Getty Images

The Conservative MP received an offer to be included on the ‘A-List’ of potential Conservative parliamentary candidates in 2005 following her unsuccessful campaign as the Conservative Party's candidate in the Nottingham North election.
 

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She represented the constituency of Witham

She represented the constituency of Witham © Future Publishing/Getty Images

Priti Patel ran as a candidate for the newly created Witham constituency in central Essex. After garnering the majority vote, she was sworn in as the Witham representative to parliament.
 

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She joined Parliament

She joined Parliament © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Priti Patel has represented Witham as a member of Parliament since 2010. 

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Minister of State for Employment

Minister of State for Employment © Bloomberg/Getty Images

David Cameron elevated Priti Patel to the position of Minister of State for Employment in the Department of Work and Pensions following the election. May 14, 2015, saw her take an oath before the Privy Council.
 

 

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Secretary of State for International Development

Secretary of State for International Development © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Priti Patel held the position of Secretary of State for International Development in the Cabinet from July 2016 to November 2017. 

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A Brexit supporter

A Brexit supporter © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Patel chaired the Vote Leave campaign, a group advocating for Brexit, in 2016. The approach seeked to admit individuals to the UK based on their skills rather than their nationality.
 

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Second term as Witham’s MP

Second term as Witham’s MP © Bloomberg/Getty Images

With 48.8% of the vote, Patel was re-elected to the Witham seat in the legislature in December 2017. 

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Home Secretary

Home Secretary © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Patel became the Home Secretary after joining Boris Johnson's elite team in July 2019. She took over for Sajid Javid, who was transferred to the Treasury department.

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Cracking down on visas

Cracking down on visas © Future Publishing/Getty Images

Priti Patel revealed her intention to use digital visas like to those in the US in 2021 to track immigration volumes in the UK.
 

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A novel immigration policy

A novel immigration policy © Future Publishing/Getty Images

During the tenure of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister from 2019 to 2022, Patel created a novel immigration program. Since 2021, the system has been in operation.
 

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Border Force

Border Force © Future Publishing/Getty Images

In February 2022, the politician appointed Alex Downer, a former minister of foreign affairs, to the Australian Liberal Party. Her responsibility was to conduct an impartial assessment of the Border Force.
 

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A Boris Johnson supporter

A Boris Johnson supporter © Future Publishing/Getty Images

In October 2022, Patel gave her approval to Boris Johnson's candidacy for the Conservative Party leadership. Ultimately, Johnson chose not to run for office, and Liz Truss was named Prime Minister.

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A Privy Council Member

A Privy Council Member © Future Publishing/Getty Images

On May 13, 2015, Priti Patel took the oath of office to become a member of Her Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council. The Honorific Prefix ‘The Right Honorable’ was therefore bestowed to her forever.

 

 

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She wrote ‘Britain Unchained’

She wrote ‘Britain Unchained’ © SOPA Images/Getty Images

The book Britain Unchained was written in 2012 by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel and four Conservative MPs who were elected in May 2010: Chris Skidmore, Kwasi Kwarteng, Dominic Raab, and Liz Truss. The book outlines their vision for the United Kingdom's future, one in which commercial and economic techniques should be adopted from other nations.

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The 'Jewels of Gujarat' award

The 'Jewels of Gujarat' award © Jeremy Selwyn/Getty Images

Ahmedabad, India's capital, presented Priti Patel with a ‘Jewels of Gujarat’ award in recognition of her participation in the 2015 Jewels of Gujarat publication by Maneesh Media.
 

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Winners of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

Winners of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Following nominations, Priti Patel and politician Neena Gill of the Labour Party won the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award. It is an honour the Indian government bestows on well-known non-resident Indian figures or individuals of Indian descent.
 

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India Diaspora Champion in 2013

India Diaspora Champion in 2013 © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Following her appointment as the first-ever Prime Minister's UK India Diaspora Champion in 2013, Priti Patel worked to strengthen commerce, education, and cultural ties between the UK and India.
 

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She was backbencher

She was backbencher © Matt Cardy/Getty Images

When Ms. Patel was a backbencher, she co-wrote several books and papers with other Conservative MPs and held the position of vice-chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel.
 

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Her father ran as a UKIP candidate for Hertfordshire

Her father ran as a UKIP candidate for Hertfordshire © Bloomberg/Getty Images

Sushil Patel, the father of Tory MP Priti Patel, ran in 2013 for the Hertfordshire County Council seat representing Bushey South, finishing in second place.