Priti Patel ‘misled parliament’ on Channel asylum seekers – but faces no investigation over ministerial code

Priti Patel “misled parliament” with a series of false statements on Channel migrants – but is not being investigated for a breach of the ministerial code.

While backing a major package of laws that criminalised small boat crossings, the home secretary repeatedly told MPs the majority of arrivals were “economic migrants”.

But new Home Office statistics show that since 2018, 94 per cent of people arriving in dinghies have claimed asylum and only 8 per cent of the applications considered have been refused.

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson, said: “A few years ago, misleading parliament meant resigning from the cabinet.

“The fact that Priti Patel refuses even to apologise for it shows that Conservative ministers clearly now believe the rules simply don’t apply to them.

“Boris Johnson and his ministers have destroyed any sense of integrity or accountability in government.”

During the period where Ms Patel made the false statements, between October and February, Home Office reports said that “almost all” migrants crossing the English Channel sought asylum.

The Ministerial Code, which governs conduct and accountability, states: “It is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.

“Ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the prime minister.”

Ms Patel has not offered her resignation and the Home Office did not commit to correcting the record when questioned by The Independent.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants accused the home secretary of “spinning a web of malicious lies to score cheap headlines, and justify her cruel and racist migration policies”.

“Her statements appear all the more shameful and absurd given her department’s own statistics contradict her claims,” advocacy director Zehrah Hasan added.

The Detention Action charity said Ms Patel had “repeatedly misled parliament and the public, peddling untruths and delegitimising some of the most traumatised people on earth”.

Director Bella Sankey added: “By refusing to correct the parliamentary record, the home secretary and the government breach yet another constitutional norm.“

Ms Patel, who is expected to be removed as home secretary by the new prime minister next week, kept her job after a 2020 investigation found she breached the ministerial code with her treatment of civil servants.

Sir Alex Allan quit as the independent adviser on ministerial standards after Mr Johnson overruled his advice, and his successor Lord Geidt resigned following the Partygate scandal.

A new adviser has not been appointed and any probe would have to be authorised by the prime minister, meaning Ms Patel is unlikely to be investigated for the new potential breach.

It comes after more than 30,000 people signed a petition by the Full Fact campaign group calling for “new rules to make it easy to correct mistakes and stop politicians from misleading parliament”.

The Independent has found at least four occasions where the home secretary made false statements to the House of Commons and parliamentary committees over the characteristics of small boat migrants.

Xural.com