With a smirk on her face, Patel attempts to brush off the latest backlash over the failed deportation policy, but her government’s growing unpopularity is hard to ignore.

On Wednesday afternoon, Priti Patel spent two hours in the House of Commons, and for nearly the entire duration, her face was set in the now-familiar smirk that has come to define her public persona. But this time, her smirk seemed more pronounced, an almost exaggerated gesture as she attempted to brush aside the mounting criticism surrounding the government’s controversial asylum policy.

To anyone who follows football, Patel’s smirk will be instantly recognisable. It’s the same one professional players often flash when they try to downplay a decision they know is against them – a subtle yet intentional attempt to undermine the authority of the referee. Patel’s version, however, came as she tried to deflect the fallout from one of the most divisive policies she’s championed: the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, a scheme that has sparked widespread outrage.

This policy, designed to send individuals seeking refuge in the UK to Rwanda, has been mired in controversy since its inception. Despite the government’s promises, the first deportation flight failed to take off, with legal challenges whittling down the number of people set to be on board from 130 to just seven, including a former Iranian police officer who had sought asylum in the UK. This individual was accused of a crime that amounted to nothing more than refusing to fire on peaceful protesters in his own country.

But Patel was determined to spin the situation as a victory. According to her, even the failed flight would ultimately be seen as a win, with the government using the debacle to rally against the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and bolster the Brexit cause. The plan, in her eyes, was a clever ploy, a means to either successfully deport the asylum seekers or ignite a row with the ECHR – a strategy that allowed them to wave the flag and deflect from the real issues facing the country.

Yet, the reality of the situation is far less straightforward. The more one examines the details of the Rwanda plan, the clearer it becomes that the government is failing to address the real concerns about asylum and immigration. Many MPs, including Tom Hunt from Ipswich, have tried to justify the policy by attacking the “elite” as out of touch with the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens. Hunt’s defence of the policy, made on Twitter, hinged on the idea that those opposing the deportations were not familiar with the problems of housing shortages, long NHS waiting times, or lack of school places. But the hypocrisy of this argument was exposed by the fact that Hunt himself attended a £26,000-a-year school, far beyond the reach of most people in the country.

Meanwhile, Danny Kruger, another prominent Conservative MP, added to the disarray by suggesting that the UK should leave the European Convention on Human Rights altogether. His rationale was that the original conception of human rights in the 1950s, drafted by British lawyers, was more in line with the UK’s interests. It’s a perspective that raises serious questions about how the government views basic human rights, particularly when it comes to protecting people from persecution.

The government’s response to the growing backlash has been to deflect blame and attack critics. When 26 bishops from the House of Lords issued a joint letter condemning the deportation policy, a government source responded by suggesting that they should be removed from the Lords. This dismissal of moral opposition, combined with the government’s focus on symbolism rather than substance, paints a worrying picture of the current state of UK politics.

As Patel and other government figures continue to spin this controversial policy, the broader picture of a government that seems increasingly out of touch with the public becomes harder to ignore. With the country facing serious challenges, from economic struggles to international condemnation, the government’s focus on divisive issues like Rwanda deportations seems more like a distraction than a genuine solution.

While Patel smirks and tries to style out the latest scandal, it’s becoming increasingly clear that her government’s approach is failing to address the real problems facing the country – and it’s the people at the bottom who will suffer the most.