London, 5 September 2022 (PA Media/dpa/MIA) - Priti Patel has quit as British home secretary, following the election of Liz Truss as the new Conservative Party leader. In her resignation letter to outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, shared on social media, Patel said it was her “choice” to continue her public service from the backbenches, when Truss formally takes up her post as prime minister on Tuesday. While she pledged her support for the new leader, she said it was “vital” that she continued to support the policies she had pursued to tackle illegal immigration – including the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda. “It has been the honour of my life to serve as home secretary for the last three years,” she tweeted. “I am proud of our work to back the police, reform our immigration system and protect our country.”