Well judging by the following I would much prefer Diane Abbott, at least she has a social conscience! I also remember Patel’s earlier resignation.“The government is not responsible for poverty in the UK, the home secretary has said.Priti Patel attempted to absolve “people in Westminster” from blame over deprivation across the country and instead highlighted the role of local authorities and education services – which receive the bulk of their funding from central government.“Well it’s appalling, and of course, but everybody – and it’s not just people in Westminster – it’s not just at a national level, it’s at a local level,” she said during a campaign visit to Barrow-in-Furness, in Cumbria, when questioned about how two in five children in some local areas were born into poverty.Challenged that the government was responsible for poverty and the Tories had had almost 10 years to address the issue, Patel replied: “It’s not the government, though, is it? Everybody just says ‘the government’ as if it is this sort of bland blob that, you know, you can just go and blame.”Pressed further, she added: “Actually, it’s, well, it’s not [the government’s fault], because it’s all parts of society and the structures. Local authorities have a role to play, education, public services, which are locally led and locally run.”Nick
Nicholas Evans ● 2536d