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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Martin Belam

'RIP her mentions': Priti Patel flies back into perfect social media storm

Priti Patel, in happier times
Priti Patel, in happier times. Photograph: David Gadd/Allstar

Tens of thousands of people spent Wednesday afternoon engrossed in political drama at 40,000ft as Priti Patel flew back from Nairobi, with the expectation she would be sacked by Theresa May upon her arrival.

Flight Radar 24 went public with the number of people tracking her flight – 22,000 – and the social media jokes soon followed.

The flight-tracking site soon made its way on to national television.

Although some took that OJ Simpson reference and brought the metaphor closer to home.

Patel is facing difficulties over a series of revelations about meetings that took place while she was ostensibly on a family holiday in Israel.

There was speculation as to what she might have watched as in-flight entertainment

The plane’s route allowed for plenty of humour.

Some were worried about the impact on the pilot.

There were those who showed concern for what Patel’s landing experience would be like.

Everybody assumed that Priti Patel was spending the journey not knowing how much attention was being paid to the flight.

This tweet, though, caused people to wonder if maybe she had been online the whole time after all.

The excitement as she got closer to landing was palpable.

People wondered what she would do when she got to the airport.

And who might be there to meet her.

The stakes were high.

This man voiced a secret fear in all of us.

Her plane circling around to make its landing approach was a chance for more jokes at her expense.

Patel isn’t expected to find out her fate until she meets the prime minister face to face later on Wednesday evening. Thanks to TFL, taking the tube might be a way to wring out a last couple of hours of being in the cabinet.

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