Priti Patel to give police powers to prevent protesters travelling
Since Priti Patel’s announcement on Tuesday (5 October) to crack down on protesters, civil liberties groups have reacted with outrage, saying the plans disregard any notion of a “healthy democracy”
Chumocracy: How Priti Patel’s new appointment continues the trend
Reinforcing queries over civil service neutrality, Priti Patel has picked the previous head of a far-right anti-tax pressure group and past editor of a conservative blog for a government position in the Home Office.
Home Office faces backlash for misleading migrant website
The Home Office has been admonished for creating a website that pretends to supply independent advice to asylum seekers contemplating moving to the UK, but omitted the fact that Priti Patel’s department is at the bottom of it.
Priti Patel to block visas in asylum system overhaul
Britain will stop visas for visitors from nations the Home Secretary regards as refusing to participate in taking back shunned asylum seekers.
Union takes Tories to the High Court
The High Court will be looking into Boris Johnson’s decision to not remove Priti Patel from her post after she was found to be bullying civil servants.
Home Office undermines investigations into deaths in detention
Amid the renewed onslaught against asylum seekers and immigrants, new claims have emerged that suggest many potential key witnesses to deaths in detention have been deliberately deported, preventing them from giving evidence in inquests. Furthermore, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has ignored the concerns from a coroner, voiced last year, that the actions of the Home Office could have impaired investigations.
Home Office scheme to deport non-UK rough sleepers relaunched
A contentious program that employs councils and homelessness charities to glean personal data has been quietly reinstituted by the Home Office, potentially causing the deportation of non-UK rough sleepers. Since the relaunch six months ago, two charities and six councils have enrolled in the scheme, as reported by Liberty Investigates, a journalism group of the human rights organisation Liberty.
Police escalate Bristol #KillTheBill demonstrations
The city of Bristol erupted into violence last night as protestors were met with hostility by the local police force, as they aimed to demonstrate against Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel and her deeply unpopular Police Bill.
Police violence mars Sarah Everard vigil
Last night (13 March 2021), hundreds gathered to remember the life of Sarah Everard and to call for changes to keep women safe in our society. The cancellation of the vigil couldn’t stop hundreds from gathering to express their emotions in the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder. The night ended in violence as police crushed flowers and dragged women kicking and screaming from the vigil. Previously, the Metropolitan police had refused to allow the event to go ahead, stoking rising tensions across Britain. Tensions had started as soon as it was revealed that a serving officer had been charged with Everard’s abduction and murder.
Tory Anti-Protests Bill threatens democratic rights
Civil liberties campaigners have warned that the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, contains proposals are set to restrict demonstrations, threatening the right to protest. Buried deep in the 300-page document, proposals would grant, by law, further powers to police officers and the Home Secretary to clamp down on protests. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have since published its ideas for the future of policing demonstrations.
