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| Priti Patel summoned back to UK as PM prepares to sack her | Priti Patel summoned back to UK as PM prepares to sack her |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Theresa May is preparing to lose a second cabinet minister in a week, with speculation mounting that she will sack Priti Patel after summoning her back from a visit to Africa. | |
| The international development secretary’s trip was cut short when she admitted two more previously undisclosed meetings with Israeli politicians, amid reports that she also breached protocol by visiting the Golan Heights. | The international development secretary’s trip was cut short when she admitted two more previously undisclosed meetings with Israeli politicians, amid reports that she also breached protocol by visiting the Golan Heights. |
| Whitehall sources confirmed that Patel was flying back to London at the request of the prime minister. A source at the Department for International Development (DfID) said: “We can confirm that she is on the way back to the UK.” | Whitehall sources confirmed that Patel was flying back to London at the request of the prime minister. A source at the Department for International Development (DfID) said: “We can confirm that she is on the way back to the UK.” |
| It is understood Patel met the Israeli public security minister, Gilad Erdan, in parliament on 7 September, and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York on 18 September, following the August meetings in Israel. | It is understood Patel met the Israeli public security minister, Gilad Erdan, in parliament on 7 September, and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York on 18 September, following the August meetings in Israel. |
| Downing Street was told about the New York breakfast with Rotem when Patel revealed the details of her trip to Israel, but No 10 learned only on Tuesday about the meeting with Erdan. | Downing Street was told about the New York breakfast with Rotem when Patel revealed the details of her trip to Israel, but No 10 learned only on Tuesday about the meeting with Erdan. |
| No British officials were present and, as with her meetings in Israel, she did not report them to the Foreign Office or government in the usual way. | No British officials were present and, as with her meetings in Israel, she did not report them to the Foreign Office or government in the usual way. |
| She was accompanied at all but one of the meetings in Israel by the honorary president of the Conservative Friends for Israel lobbying group, Stuart Polak. | |
| Patel had a crunch meeting at 10 Downing Street on Monday that was supposed to draw a line under the row. A Whitehall source said: “There was an expectation of full disclosure at the meeting on Monday. It is now clear Priti did not do that. It will now have to be looked at again.” | Patel had a crunch meeting at 10 Downing Street on Monday that was supposed to draw a line under the row. A Whitehall source said: “There was an expectation of full disclosure at the meeting on Monday. It is now clear Priti did not do that. It will now have to be looked at again.” |
| Patel is expected to become the second cabinet scalp in a week after Michael Fallon resigned as defence secretary last Wednesday. It later emerged that he was forced to quit after several allegations of sexual harassment. | Patel is expected to become the second cabinet scalp in a week after Michael Fallon resigned as defence secretary last Wednesday. It later emerged that he was forced to quit after several allegations of sexual harassment. |
| As Patel was flying back to London from Africa, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that she visited an Israel Defence Forces field hospital in the Golan Heights as a guest of the Israeli government before suggesting Britain should help fund the field hospital’s operations. | As Patel was flying back to London from Africa, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that she visited an Israel Defence Forces field hospital in the Golan Heights as a guest of the Israeli government before suggesting Britain should help fund the field hospital’s operations. |
| Like the rest of the international community, the British government does not recognise Israel’s control of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the six-day war in 1967. | Like the rest of the international community, the British government does not recognise Israel’s control of the Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the six-day war in 1967. |
| The hospital is being run under the auspices of an Israeli military medical aid effort that has assisted both wounded civilians as well as wounded rebel Syrian fighters some of whom have been accused of being members of jihadist groups fighting the Assad regime. | The hospital is being run under the auspices of an Israeli military medical aid effort that has assisted both wounded civilians as well as wounded rebel Syrian fighters some of whom have been accused of being members of jihadist groups fighting the Assad regime. |
| Complicating Patel’s depiction of the visit as private, an Israeli military spokesman suggested her trip had been organised by the country’s foreign affairs ministry. | Complicating Patel’s depiction of the visit as private, an Israeli military spokesman suggested her trip had been organised by the country’s foreign affairs ministry. |
| Asked whether the Israeli army facilitated the visit, Maj Jonathan Conricus told the Guardian: “She visited Israel. Please refer to the MFA [ministry of foreign affairs] for details, since they organised the visit.” | Asked whether the Israeli army facilitated the visit, Maj Jonathan Conricus told the Guardian: “She visited Israel. Please refer to the MFA [ministry of foreign affairs] for details, since they organised the visit.” |
| The prime minister faced accusations that she had been told of the New York meeting with Rotem, but actively told Patel not to disclose it. The suggestion was made in an article in the Jewish Chronicle. | |
| But Downing street strongly rebutted the claim. They admitted that Patel had told May about the meeting and that it was part of the rebuke the international development secretary received on Monday. | |
| However, they said the prime minister had not told Patel to keep it off the list. Instead, they said that had been drawn up by Patel and it was her choice to only include the meetings in Israel during the summer holiday. | |
| A source said it was the revelation of the London meeting with Erdan that May was not informed about and was the reason that Patel had been summoned back to London. | |
| The UK’s new defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, refused to directly answer questions about Patel’s future when he spoke to reporters on his way into a Nato summit in Brussels. | The UK’s new defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, refused to directly answer questions about Patel’s future when he spoke to reporters on his way into a Nato summit in Brussels. |
| Patel has been under pressure to quit her post after failing to come clean with May over 12 other meetings she has held with senior Israeli figures, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. | Patel has been under pressure to quit her post after failing to come clean with May over 12 other meetings she has held with senior Israeli figures, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. |
| One of Patel’s backbench supporters, Nadhim Zahawi, offered only lukewarm backing for her on Wednesday. Zahawi, a member of the foreign affairs select committee, told BBC News: “It is totally in the gift of the prime minister [how] any cabinet minster should serve in government ... Ultimately it is up to the prime minister what she does if there are new revelations.” | One of Patel’s backbench supporters, Nadhim Zahawi, offered only lukewarm backing for her on Wednesday. Zahawi, a member of the foreign affairs select committee, told BBC News: “It is totally in the gift of the prime minister [how] any cabinet minster should serve in government ... Ultimately it is up to the prime minister what she does if there are new revelations.” |
| The former Downing Street communications director Craig Oliver predicted Patel would be sacked. | The former Downing Street communications director Craig Oliver predicted Patel would be sacked. |
| It’s hard to draw any conclusion other than Priti Patel will now be sacked. I suspect she now wishes she’d resigned when she had the chance | It’s hard to draw any conclusion other than Priti Patel will now be sacked. I suspect she now wishes she’d resigned when she had the chance |
| Patel avoided widespread criticism in the House of Commons of her conduct on Tuesday by travelling to Kenya before a planned visit to Uganda. Following DfID’s latest disclosures, meetings in Uganda were cancelled, the BBC’s assistant political editor, Norman Smith, reported. | Patel avoided widespread criticism in the House of Commons of her conduct on Tuesday by travelling to Kenya before a planned visit to Uganda. Following DfID’s latest disclosures, meetings in Uganda were cancelled, the BBC’s assistant political editor, Norman Smith, reported. |
| Understood that two events Priti Patel was due to be attending in Uganda this morning have been cancelled | Understood that two events Priti Patel was due to be attending in Uganda this morning have been cancelled |
| No 10 rebuked Patel after she gave the false impression in an interview with the Guardian that the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and the Foreign Office knew about her meetings in Israel. | No 10 rebuked Patel after she gave the false impression in an interview with the Guardian that the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, and the Foreign Office knew about her meetings in Israel. |
| It also emerged she had failed to inform the prime minister of departmental discussions over plans to send aid money to the Israeli army to support humanitarian operations in the Golan Heights. | It also emerged she had failed to inform the prime minister of departmental discussions over plans to send aid money to the Israeli army to support humanitarian operations in the Golan Heights. |
| No 10 said on Tuesday that Patel had not informed the prime minister about the “aid to Israel” discussions at the meeting on Monday. Instead, May learned about the proposals from reports in the media, a Downing Street source said. | No 10 said on Tuesday that Patel had not informed the prime minister about the “aid to Israel” discussions at the meeting on Monday. Instead, May learned about the proposals from reports in the media, a Downing Street source said. |
| Lord Polak accompanied Patel at 13 of her 14 meetings with Israeli officials during August and September. | |
| Conservative MPs failed to rally behind Patel on Tuesday when her conduct was debated in parliament, which will be noted by her critics within the cabinet and the party. Only four of her own party’s backbenchers spoke in the debate and expressed concerns and reservations about recent events. | Conservative MPs failed to rally behind Patel on Tuesday when her conduct was debated in parliament, which will be noted by her critics within the cabinet and the party. Only four of her own party’s backbenchers spoke in the debate and expressed concerns and reservations about recent events. |
| May learned of Patel’s meetings with Israeli politicians on Friday – a day after the PM held a meeting with Netanyahu in Downing Street to mark the centenary of the Balfour declaration. | |
| Patel has clarified the previous remarks to the Guardian in which she had appeared to suggest that Johnson knew of her schedule beforehand. A statement issued by Patel and DfID said: “This quote may have given the impression that the secretary of state had informed the foreign secretary about the visit in advance. | Patel has clarified the previous remarks to the Guardian in which she had appeared to suggest that Johnson knew of her schedule beforehand. A statement issued by Patel and DfID said: “This quote may have given the impression that the secretary of state had informed the foreign secretary about the visit in advance. |
| “The secretary of state would like to take this opportunity to clarify that this was not the case. The foreign secretary did become aware of the visit, but not in advance of it.” | “The secretary of state would like to take this opportunity to clarify that this was not the case. The foreign secretary did become aware of the visit, but not in advance of it.” |
| Patel also said: “This summer I travelled to Israel, on a family holiday paid for by myself. While away I had the opportunity to meet a number of people and organisations. I am publishing a list of who I met. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was aware of my visit while it was under way. | Patel also said: “This summer I travelled to Israel, on a family holiday paid for by myself. While away I had the opportunity to meet a number of people and organisations. I am publishing a list of who I met. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was aware of my visit while it was under way. |
| “In hindsight, I can see how my enthusiasm to engage in this way could be misread, and how meetings were set up and reported in a way which did not accord with the usual procedures. I am sorry for this and I apologise for it.” | “In hindsight, I can see how my enthusiasm to engage in this way could be misread, and how meetings were set up and reported in a way which did not accord with the usual procedures. I am sorry for this and I apologise for it.” |
| The Labour party called for an immediate investigation into whether Patel broke the ministerial code of conduct. | The Labour party called for an immediate investigation into whether Patel broke the ministerial code of conduct. |