Priti Patel blames Suella Braverman for failure to prevent Kent asylum centre crisis

Ex-home secretary makes known she booked hotel rooms to prevent overcrowding – posing question of why practice stopped under successor

Priti Patel is blaming her successor Suella Braverman for the failure to take steps to prevent the Kent asylum centre crisis, piling further pressure on the home secretary.

The Home Office has been accused by a Tory MP of a “deliberate” decision to allow dangerous overcrowding at the Manston site, possibly to send a harsh message to would-be refugees.

Now Ms Patel has made known she did book hotel rooms for asylum seekers while in charge of the Home Office – raising the question of why the practice stopped when Ms Braverman took over last month.