Laura Kuenssberg: Who is on the show this week? Why did former Home Secretary Priti Patel resign from cabinet?

BBC’s flagship Sunday politics show is back with a ranger of guest ready to face questioning from veteran BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg. This week will feature guests such as Labour MP Darren Jones, Tory MP Priti Patel, prime minister of Estonia Kristen Michal, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, and actor Damian Lewis.

Priti Patel was one at the top of government, serving at the UK’s Home Secretary from 2019 until 2022. The former Tory minister has returned to the Tory cabinet, this time in opposition as the shadow foreign secretary.

But why did she leave her role as Home Secretary in the previous Tory government? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why did Priti Patel resign as Home Secretary?

Priti Patel resigned from her position in 2022. Her resignation came as the then-incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss prepared to make selections for her cabinet, which were widely reported at the time not to include Patel.

However, her three year tenure as Home Secretary was filled with controversial moments. Most notably, Patel was one of the main architects of the contentious Rwanda policy, which saw the Tory government fight to deport asylum seekers to the African country while waiting for their applications to be processed.

Prior to the controversial policy, Patel was also subjected to allegations of bullying within her department following the resignation of the most senior civil servant in her department, Sir Philip Rutnam, in 2020. Later that same year, a Cabinet Office inquiry found that Patel had breached the ministerial code in three government departments, stating that she had “not met the requirements of the ministerial code to treat civil servants with consideration and respect".

Patel was also forced to resign from her role as international development secretary under Theresa May in 2017 after making unauthorised contact with Israeli officials while in post.