Law breaking has become such a habit with this Government you’d think Priti Patel would need to spend all her time handcuffing Cabinet colleagues. But no.
The minister in charge of policing the nation can find a few minutes spare to break the law herself.
On Friday a judge ruled that Ms Patel breached the Equality Act by granting herself a four-year extension to use the MoD’s Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, to house migrants.
The Home Secretary had failed to take into account the impact using the barracks longterm would have on those languishing there, and on the local community.
That comes on top of findings against her 12 months ago regarding the selection process for Napier, and in March this year for her unlawful seizure of migrants’ phones.
We have yet to see whether British courts will declare sending refugees to Rwanda is unlawful, as the European Court of Human Rights has already.
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And because we do not like the ECHR interpretation of the law, Dominic Raab is creating new laws so we can ignore it.
It is no longer a surprise to a weary electorate that the serial offenders who govern us go unpunished.
Boris Johnson is fined for a Covid breach and keeps the keys to No10. Ms Patel’s bullying breaks the ministerial code and she keeps her job.
Mr Johnson started his premiership by illegally trying to sidestep Parliament and lying to the Queen to get Brexit done.
Now he wants to tear up international law and bin the treaty he signed with the EU over Northern Ireland because Brexit is still not done.
This now goes deeper than the anger felt at Downing Street knees-ups during lockdowns.
We know the Right Honourables who lead us are neither on the side of right nor honourable. That is why the Tories lost those two by-elections last week.
The law-abiding British people who stick to the rules cannot stomach Tory ministers so brazenly breaking them.
Trust is hardly won and easily lost. Ministers who consistently flout the rules cannot be trusted by the voters. And that is why this shamble of a government is now doomed.
Power to Tash
Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri calls her deafness her “superpower” and says: “It’s just something cool that I’ve got about myself.”
We like that, Tash. Describing a disability as a strength is the way to inspire other young people in a similar position because you’re saying being deaf is not disabling at all.
Dad Tarek comes to her defence today because the boys on the show have been mean to her.
We get that, Tarek. That’s what dads do.
But we don’t think you should worry. With Tasha’s superpower, you have a superwoman for a daughter.
