SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2019I want criminals to literally feel
terror, Patel declares
The home secretary has promised to ‘empower’ police (EPA)
BENJAMIN KENTISH
Priti Patel used her first interview as home secretary to say she wanted criminals to “literally feel terror”.
The home secretary sought to align the Conservative Party with police officers and stressed its commitment
to law and order.
In the interview, the ardent Brexiteer denied having ever supported the death penalty, despite previously
calling for it to be reintroduced.
Ms Patel was appointed to the Home Office by Boris Johnson last month after two years as a backbencher,
prompting controversy over her past support for capital punishment. However, Ms Patel has now insisted
that her previous claims did not mean she was an “active supporter” of the death penalty.
She told the Daily Mail her comments on the issue were “constantly taken out of context” and claimed that