Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, is knee-deep in rumours of spats with her senior civil servants with the Times reporting multiple Home Office sources accusing her of bullying, belittling officials and presiding over an “atmosphere of fear”. There has also been a leak (hotly denied) that MI5 has been keeping intelligence away from her. There was general surprise she wasn’t dumped at the recent reshuffle since she’s generally regarded as weak and not up to the role. Though it is a monstrous job in a dysfunctional department.
Sim Jenkins writes in the Guardian: “Patel’s greatest fans would not laud her subtlety and sensitivity. A lack of experience and chequered ministerial career restored her to high office only because Boris Johnson wanted a right-wing loyalist who would carry his anti-Europeanism to extremes. Patel has set about this with a bludgeon.”
She was born 29 March 1972, of second-generation immigrant Ugandan-Indians, and is a longstanding Eurosceptic. Under Theresa May she was Secretary of State for International Development though was forced to resign after a political scandal involving unauthorised meetings with the Government of Israel. Patel has been criticised by political opponents for defending the tobacco and alcohol industries.
She is a Sun and Mercury in pro-active Aries opposition both a controlling Pluto (Moon) and a rebellious Uranus in Libra square Jupiter in Capricorn so she will be ambitious for money and success, as well as status, is lucky, overly excitable and wayward and given to over confidence. She also has a short-tempered Mars Saturn in Gemini opposition Neptune – shades of Dominic Cummings.
Though oddly she doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Cummings and that relationship is more unstable through this spring than with Boris. And Carrie Simmonds seriously doesn’t get on with her – not that there’s any suggestion Carrie is running No 10 but she’s likely to be throwing in the odd comment.
Priti Patel’s own chart looks in for a very rocky ride over coming months with tr Uranus bouncing off various Sun, Mars, Mercury and Saturn midpoints. April and May look like months of rapidly sinking personal confidence and career losses. And those influences repeat later in the year.
Add ON: Sir Philip Rutman, 19 June 1965, Patel’s top civil servant in the Home Office at the centre of the allegations, has resigned and taken the highly unusual step of announcing he intends to claim against the government for constructive dismissal. He said there had been a “vicious and orchestrated” campaign against him.
Patel is pushy and overly confident with her Sun opposition Pluto square Jupiter, never mind short-tempered from Mars Saturn in a slippery opposition to Neptune. Her Pluto is conjunct Rutman’s Mars and square his Gemini Sun, so it was never going to be a peaceful partnership.
Their relationship chart is an eye-opener with a tricky Yod of Neptune sextile Uranus Pluto inconjunct Saturn; and a Grand Trine of Mars Jupiter and Neptune formed into a Kite by Neptune opposition Mercury (Sun). Such a Yod suggests a fated connection which will have far-reaching consequences for both. Tr Pluto is just this week picking up the square to that composite Saturn.
And an emphasised Neptune would be evasive and ultimately disappointing.
Rutman himself looks fairly short-fused with a Sun square Mars in pernickety Virgo; and wouldn’t be short of pushy-confidence himself with his Jupiter square Pluto. Two egos colliding.
Pic: Richard Townshend
There can be an overbearing nature to Sun/Jupiter, with the Sun in Aries in square to a Saturnian Jupiter. Saturn is moving close to her north node in Aquarius soon and that rather slippery, as Jane pointed out, Mars/Saturn conjunction opposition Neptune is going to be squared by the current Mercury Retrograde in Pisces.
That Saturn, Mars, Neptune mix in her natal chart is so difficult, and could describe the Home Office which is notoriously “not fit for purpose”. She is unlikely to be the person who sorts it out either. If M15 have been keeping information back, who could blame them. She doesn’t even know what counter terrorism means….