The former home secretary Priti Patel had a whiteboard behind her ministerial desk on which she had written a list of her priorities. For much of her time in office the top three issues were: deal with small boats, cut crime, protect national security. When she left the cabinet in September, Patel was unable to point to much progress on priority No 1, and the situation she bequeathed Suella Braverman has disintegrated into chaos.
Within the already beleaguered department, morale has plummeted further. “It’s a complete mess,”