UK minister faces sacking calls over Israel meetings
AFP, London :
British Prime Minister Theresa May summoned her aid minister back from a trip to Africa on Wednesday following a row over unauthorised meetings in Israel, prompting speculation she will be the second minister in a week to be sacked.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel left London on Tuesday on a trip to Uganda, but a government source told AFP she was returning to London Wednesday at May’s request.
Patel was forced to apologise on Monday for taking time out of a family holiday to Israel in August to hold 12 separate meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other politicians without May’s knowledge.
Patel was accompanied on all the meetings in Israel except one by Lord Stuart Polak, the honorary president of lobbying group Conservative Friends of Israel.
She was publicly reprimanded by the prime minister but appeared to keep her job. However, it emerged late Tuesday there had been another two unauthorised meetings in September, one with Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.
British Prime Minister Theresa May summoned her aid minister back from a trip to Africa on Wednesday following a row over unauthorised meetings in Israel, prompting speculation she will be the second minister in a week to be sacked.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel left London on Tuesday on a trip to Uganda, but a government source told AFP she was returning to London Wednesday at May’s request.
Patel was forced to apologise on Monday for taking time out of a family holiday to Israel in August to hold 12 separate meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other politicians without May’s knowledge.
Patel was accompanied on all the meetings in Israel except one by Lord Stuart Polak, the honorary president of lobbying group Conservative Friends of Israel.
She was publicly reprimanded by the prime minister but appeared to keep her job. However, it emerged late Tuesday there had been another two unauthorised meetings in September, one with Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan.
