A ministerial aide has been dismissed from his government role after advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by the BBC.
The British government disapproved of Paul Bristow’s remarks, stating that they “were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility”.
In a letter to the prime minister last week, Bristow expressed that a “permanent ceasefire” would save lives and enable much-needed aid to reach the affected population.
However, the British government supports “humanitarian pauses” but not a complete ceasefire.
During a recent session of Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Sunak mentioned the potential implementation of “specific pauses” to facilitate the delivery of additional aid.
However, he firmly rejected appeals for endorsing a ceasefire, highlighting Israel’s legitimate right to self-defense.
A spokesman from Downing Street stated, “Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his government position due to comments that were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility.”
Collective responsibility refers to the established practice in which all government members are expected to publicly support government policies, regardless of their personal reservations or disagreements.
Bristow, who serves as the Conservative MP for Peterborough, held the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary – the lowest rank in the ministerial hierarchy – to Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
In his letter to the prime minister on Thursday, Mr. Bristow wrote, “My constituents and I are deeply saddened by the heart-wrenching and devastating humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Gaza.
“Thousands have been killed, and over one million are now displaced.
“It is difficult to understand how this makes Israel more secure or improves anything.”
He also mentioned that some of his constituents had directly experienced the consequences of the conflict.
According to the latest census, over 17% of the population in Mr. Bristow’s Peterborough constituency are Muslim.
He narrowly won the marginal seat from Labour with a majority of 2,580 in the last general election.