Home Secretary Ms Patel was due to appear before the Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning but canceled her appearance the night before. Justice Secretary Mr Raab was due to attend the Joint Committee on Human Rights next week but has also been postponed. Politics Hub: Sunak and Truss in final five as Mordaunt makes biggest gains Committee chairs have written to ministers, calling on them to keep their commitments, but Ms Patel has already responded, saying she will not meet them until September. By then, there will be a new Conservative Party leader and prime minister, so it is not certain they will still be in their roles. It comes after the government confirmed it was delaying a major piece of legislation, the Internet Safety Bill, until after the summer recess, claiming there was “limited time” and “competing demands” ahead of the break. Ms Patel’s appearance was due to take place at 10am on Wednesday, but the commission says she was told shortly before 5pm on Tuesday that she would not be coming. Writing to the president, the home secretary said “scrutiny by your committee is always a priority for the department and myself” but that “recent changes in government, and particularly the ministerial team in my department” meant she could not go ahead. suggesting instead a date in September. Committee chair Dame Diana Johnson said it was “extremely disappointing” and responded to the letter by saying: “We are given to understand that, despite the Prime Minister’s resignation last week, we still have a working government. “It is important that our committee is able to scrutinize the policy and actions of this government and, in these uncertain times, even more so.” But despite the committee “expecting” Ms Patel to appear next week, another letter saw the home secretary sticking to her guns and repeating her calls for a meeting in September. A Home Office spokesman said the meeting was not canceled but postponed, adding: “The Home Secretary will appear later to agree with the committee.” ‘Extremely disappointed’ Mr Raab – who is also deputy prime minister – was not due to appear next Wednesday before the Joint Committee on Human Rights to discuss his new bill of rights, but has already withdrawn. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said it would attend a meeting after the summer recess, adding: “The introduction of the Bill of Rights followed extensive consultation and will be debated and considered in Parliament in the usual way.” But one of the committee’s chairs, the SNP’s Joanna Cherry, wrote to Mr Raab, saying she was “extremely disappointed”. He added: “While we understand there are pressures that come with holding [two jobs] Accountability to parliament must take priority.”
