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Topics: Politics, Celebrity Net Worth, UK News
Harry Smailes
Boris Johnson’s announced departure from the executive has kickstarted the race for leadership of the Conservative Party and prime minister of the UK
Eleven candidates have already put themselves forward for the position.
Although, at the time of writing, she has not yet thrown her hat in the ring, Priti Patel is expected to become the twelfth candidate running; as such, the public want to know how much our potential future Prime Minister is worth.
Born to an Indian-Ugandan family in London, Patel was reportedly inspired to engage in politics by Margaret Thatcher.
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She first pursued a career in politics as a member of the Referendum Party, a single-issue Eurosceptic party which was active from 1994-1997.
As the Referendum Party began to collapse, Patel switched political allegiances, joining the Tories in 1997.
Since then she has gradually moved through the party ranks, getting elected as MP for Witham in 2010 and was appointed as the Minister of State for Employment under David Cameron’s government.
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A controversial figure, Patel was a vocal Brexit advocate during the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign and has voted for some of the most contentious bills in the last decade, including championing the points-based immigration system which incorporates the now-infamous deportation deal with Rwanda.
As Home Secretary, she also voted for the highly controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which has reformed the criminal justice system in response to protests from interest groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain.
Alongside her controversial ideological views, the self-professed ‘Thatcherite’ has been accused of bullying within the party.
Despite not being the most popular politician, Patel is still pipped as a serious challenge to hot favourite Rishi Sunak thanks to her experience and understanding of the current political climate.
She is yet to make an official bid for leadership but it is highly expected that she will and the public want to know all about her financial position.
Priti Patel is worth £2.2 million, according to the Express.
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Patel’s capital has largely been accrued through her political career, having earned the current basic salary of an MP (£79,468) until she became Home Secretary in 2019 at which point her salary rose to over £120,000.
She has also made forays into the world of business, having been a non-executive director at global software company Accloud Plc in 2019 and, in March 2022, she accepted a £100,000 donation from Andurand Ventures Ltd, which was heavily criticised.
Issues around the finances of potential candidates are hitting headlines at the moment as a question has been raised over whether it should be mandatory for hopefuls to publish their tax affairs to become Prime Minister.
Both Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt have come forward and stated that, should they make it to the final two candidates, they would be more than happy to publish their tax records.
Evidently, as she has not yet entered the race, Patel is yet to speak on the matter but she will likely not have a problem with releasing her tax records into the public domain