A Conservative MP has been sacked after sending the Prime Minister a letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Thursday, ministerial aide Paul Bristow wrote to Rishi Sunak urging a “permanent” break in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
But following his comments a No 10 spokeswoman said: “Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his post in Government following comments that were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility.”
The parliamentary private secretary (PPS) at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology called for the ceasefire after Suank requested a pause in the hostilities to allow more aid to get to Gaza.
On Thursday, ministerial aide Paul Bristow wrote to Rishi Sunak urging a 'permanent' break in fighting between Israel and Hamas
PAIn a two-page letter to Sunak, Bristow said: “Thousands have been killed and more than one million now displaced. It is difficult to understand how this makes Israel more secure or indeed makes anything better.”
Despite embracing calls from Sunak for “specific pauses” in the fighting, he added: “A permanent ceasefire would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid [to] reach the people who need it the most.
“Access to water, electricity and fuel is vital for the Palestinian people.
"My constituents and I would be grateful for your comments on the actions our Government is taking to ensure that people in Gaza do not face collective punishment for the crimes of Hamas.”
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A post including the letter on Bristow’s website on Thursday has now been deleted, but it remains live on his Facebook page.
He wrote on social media: “Ordinary Palestinians are not Hamas. I struggle to see how Israel is any safer following thousands of deaths of innocent Palestinians.
“They should not suffer collective punishment for the crimes of Hamas. We need a ceasefire.”
Bristow is the MP for Peterborough, where the Muslim population is almost double the national average.
Paul Bristow called for the ceasefire after Suank requested a pause in the hostilities to allow more aid to get to Gaza
GETTYBristow does not intend to change his view of the conflict and feels it is important to represent the concerns of Muslim groups in his constituency, according to the Telegraph.
On Sunday night, a No 10 spokesman said Sunak had expressed “serious concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza”.
The spokesman added that the leaders had “shared their serious concern at the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed the importance of increasing the supplies of water, medicines and fuel reaching civilians”.
