But as she held court tucked in the deep sofa of a hotel lobby, it was also clear Priti Patel was in town to rally support for her own Conservative Party and its place as the natural ally for Republicans.

“We have shared values. It’s the parties of Reagan and Thatcher,” she told Secrets. “It’s real, traditional conservatism that sums up all our values: Our support for free speech, our support for the family, more economic growth and prosperity, stronger defenses.”

The reason for her concern is obvious. Her party is being squeezed by the forces of the hard, populist Right.

Her visit last month was overshadowed in part by Tommy Robinson, a far-right activist with a string of criminal convictions. He was also in town. And hours after she sat down with Secrets, her party was an embarrassing fourth in a parliamentary byelection as Nigel Farage’s Reform UK vacuumed up the votes of people who would once have voted Conservative.

The frustration is obvious as she avoided even mentioning their names, instead focusing on how the Conservatives remain the natural allies of the Republican Party.

“You don’t hear the other two that you’ve just mentioned speaking about having policies, plans, and solutions,” she said.

What they have, though, is visibility in Washington.

Patel was at the State Department on the same day as Robinson. His hosts must have had to waive visa restrictions on the violent offender, who has previously been banned from entry.

He can count Elon Musk among his supporters, who see him as an uncompromising campaigner for free speech.

He is seen differently in the U.K. There, his unfettered speech cost him $130,000 in libel damages to a schoolboy who received death threats after Robinson’s anti-Muslim smears, and then a prison sentence when he ignored a court injunction banning him from repeating the lies. Robinson claimed he had been silenced by the state.

Then there is Farage. Last month, he deepened his ties to the Trump administration by elevating a prominent ally of JD Vance to a senior leadership role.

And he is a regular visitor to Mar-a-Lago (at least in his telling) who claims his party will soon supplant the Conservatives as the only national right-wing party.

He is also pushing for Trump to veto the deal to hand the Chagos Islands (home to the Diego Garcia U.S. base) to Mauritius. The U.S. administration had approved the deal but Trump himself has flipped and flopped, saying last month it would be a “blight on our great ally.”

Relations between London and Washington have soured further with the war in Iran. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer infuriated Trump by initially refusing to allow the use of planes engaged in the attacks, and Britain’s opposition parties see an opportunity to cozy up to the president.

Patel, however, believes the British public won’t in the end be taken in by Farage and what she called his “noisy politics.” (As a former home secretary in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, she knows a thing or two about charismatic populists.)

“They’re not in the battle of ideas for the future of our country and the direction of where we’re going,” she said, speaking before the strikes on Iran began.

“When Britain is going through a really terrible cost of living crisis, when unemployment is going up every single month, where are they? They’re out there pulling stunts.”

Her tiny frame is almost swallowed by the lobby sofas where she was holding meetings. Her British Airways flight home was delayed by 24 hours, giving her an extra day. 

There will be more visits, Secrets suspects. Not just to promote Britain’s place in the “special relationship.” For Patel is also quietly trying to keep her Tories in with the America First movement.

The last time she was here, she pointed out, was in December for the International Democracy Union. Her point is that Farage is not a member of the global gathering of the Right, which was founded by Margaret Thatcher and Vice President George H.W. Bush, among others.

“Our sister party is the Republican Party, 100%,” Patel said. “So when I go and talk to Republican senators they know we are aligned. They’re not engaging with those guys, the other guys, they’re simply not doing that at all.”

She still won’t use the names of the political Voldemorts.

Farage’s Mar-a-Won’tgo

As if to prove her point, Farage flew to Florida on Friday to see Trump. His plan, he said, was to buttonhole the president about those Chagos Islands.

“President Trump has almost understood the deal — almost — but I will be dining at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night and will reinforce the message, it was the worst deal in history,” he told a Save Chagos party in London on Thursday.

So while Patel could only meet a handful of administration officials during her visit, Farage was planning to go straight to the top.

Just one problem. Trump wasn’t spending the weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

Instead, Trump was at his Doral Club in Miami, where he was hosting Latin American leaders, and flying to Dover Air Force Base for the return of the bodies of six U.S. service personnel killed in the war with Iran.

In fact, Secrets can reveal, Farage was rather winging it all along. He was traveling to Palm Beach for the Club for Growth’s annual economic conference at the plush Breakers hotel and had wangled an invitation from a member to dine at Mar-a-Lago, where he hoped to greet Trump and press him on the issue.

Instead, he flew back on Sunday without securing a meeting. Just another stunt, as Patel might have put it.

It’s the Israelis’ fault

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was one of the most hawkish voices on Iran. But with American public opinion hardening against the war, gas prices rising, and crippled oil production triggering dire economic warnings, something has to give.

And Graham (and administration officials speaking to Axios) has worked out a new line. That bad stuff? It’s the Israelis.

“Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative. However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime,” he posted on Sunday.

“In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select,” Graham wrote. “Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”

Lunchtime reading

Marco’s moment — It’s time to take a 2028 Rubio run seriously: Is the war on Iran the decisive moment? Is it the moment when Marco Rubio’s influence over Trump eclipses that of JD Vance?

How to prevent insider trading on Trump’s wars: Most of the six accounts had not gambled previously. So why did they suddenly go big on betting that Trump would strike Iran just before he ordered the attacks?

You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, whom you can reach at secrets@washingtonexaminer DOT COM with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here.