Priti Patel’s job in the Cabinet is hanging by a thread after it emerged she held two further unauthorised meetings with Israeli officials without telling Downing Street.
The international development secretary has been ordered by Theresa May to abandon an official trip to Africa and fly back to London immediately.
The fresh revelations revealed late on Tuesday evening have piled extra pressure on the prime minister to sack Patel.
Patel is believed to be onboard Kenya Airways flight KQA100 which lands at London Heathrow at 3.30pm. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner does not have wifi on board.
Patel has faced demands to resign after she failed to tell May or the Foreign Office about 12 meetings with Israeli political figures - including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - while holiday in the country in August.
Patel initially claimed Boris Johnson had been told of the meetings. But later had to admit he only became aware on August 24 - after they had taken place.
Having already been reprimanded by the prime minister, Patel has now admitted to also meeting the Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan in Parliament on September 7 and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York on September 18.
No British officials were present and like her meetings in Israel, she did not report them to the Foreign Office or Government in the usual way.
She was accompanied at all the meetings bar one in Israel by honorary president of the Conservative Friends for Israel lobbying group Lord Polak.
Labour has demanded an investigation into Patel’s meetings with the Israeli officials and claimed they involved “serious breaches” of the Ministerial Code.
The prospect of having to fire Patel has added to the pressure on May’s faltering government and its foreign policy team.
Johnson has also faced renewed calls to resign as foreign secretary for a diplomatic blunder that risks extending a jail term for a British woman arrested in Iran.
And just last week Sir Michael Fallon was forced to resign as defence secretary in the wake of the Westminster sexual harassment scandal.
In any reshuffle May would have to take care not to upset the delicate balance between pro-Brexit and pro-Remain Cabinet ministers.
Patel was a key part of the Vote Leave campaign during the referendum.
In an attempt to defend Patel, Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Newsnight that those calling for her to be sacked were part of a “Remoaner” plot.
Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said: “The prime minister has at least four serious grounds to launch an investigation into breaches of the Ministerial Code by Priti Patel.
“She should act now to launch an investigation of these serious breaches of the ministerial code or explain why even given this she believes that Priti Patel can stay in post.”
Labour sought yesterday to force Patel to explain herself in the Commons by tabling an urgent question, but it was left to Middle East Minister Alistair Burt to answer as Patel had already left for the trip to Africa.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.