Fierce ambitions come at a price. Last week, the British cabinet faced massive chaos as former International Development Secretary Priti Patel's unofficial meetings with Israeli politicians came to light. The past week was nothing but chaos, as the media scrambled for first-hand coverage, ministers scurried around trying to save their behinds, and the Prime Minister- who already suffers with a severe bout of public indisposition, visually struggled to handle the issue. It was Patel's poised calmness that seemed strange yet admirable during the whole charade.
Patel has been replaced by Penny Mordaunt, minister for disabled people, who received a call from Theresa May asking her to join the Cabinet. Seen as a rising star in the party, the 44 year old was a prominent Brexiteer during last year's referendum campaign, and had openly backed Andrea Leadsom in the Tory leadership contest. Regarding her appointment, she said, “I'm delighted to have been appointed by the Prime Minister to be the new Secretary of State for International Development. I'm looking forward to working with the team here to continue building a safer, more secure, more prosperous world for us all and really giving the British public pride in what we do.”
Driving force behind Patel's off-radar meetings- Lord Stuart Polak
Patel's Israel visit was reportedly organised by Lord Stuart Polak, president of Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI). He arranged a dozen meetings during her summer holiday in Israel and was known to be in attendance at all, except one of them. He was also present in Patel's meetings in September with an Israeli minister Gilad Erdan, and a government official Yuval Rotem.
Patel's meetings were efforts of increasing co-operation between the Department for International Development (Dfid) and Israeli defence forces carrying out humanitarian work in southern Syria. The whole strategy however, went down the drains when the story exploded all across the media.
Ms Patel’s visit to Israel was organised by Lord Polak, president of Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI), which has lobbied on behalf of the Jewish state within the Tory parliamentary party. Last year CFI paid for 21 Tory MPs to travel on a fact-finding mission to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza’s border. Ms Patel is a former vice-chairwoman of CFI. In the same year the Conservative Middle East Council, a pro-Arab group, paid for a further seven MPs to travel to the region. Until he returned to government last year Sir Alan Duncan was chairman of the council.
Ms Patel was trying to broker increased co-operation between the Department for International Development (Dfid) and Israeli defence forces carrying out humanitarian work in southern Syria. Her supporters suggest that she held the meetings, including with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, while on holiday so as not to involve the Foreign Office. The strategy failed when the department found out. Lord Polak has given 28 years lobbying on behalf of the Israeli state. An associate said, “He's given his entire life to CFI, when the Conservatives have been in government and out, and Israel has had lots of friends. It's his life's work. He's built ups contacts over generations of Tory MPs, and is seen as someone who's really put in the graft, in the community.”
His role in the Patel meetings have been termed an uncharacteristic misjudgment. “He’s not a headline grabber – not because he’s some shadowy figure, but because he doesn’t look for a public profile himself. He was chuffed to get a peerage because it gave him a place even closer to government to do what he does. But it was never his intention to become part of the story,” said a former colleague.
Is Sir Alan Duncan to blame?
Several Patel-supporters have raised fingers at Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan for having “means and the motivation” to brief details of the meetings conducted by the secretary in Israel. Sir Duncan has been blamed for instigating the row that led to her quitting office. It is no secret that he he remains a critic of Israeli policy in occupied territories, contrary to Patel's views. Sources claim that the Foreign Office was fully aware and decided to leak the information right when May met with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, to “settle a score”. The Foreign Office had a bone to pick with Patel, for her time as head of the Department for International Development when she campaigned to use aid as “leverage” for nations post-Brexit.
One Patel-ally said, “The blame is on Alan, and Boris (Johnson) too as it's his department and did nothing to stop him.” Another senior Tory said, “Let's just say if Priti had met President Macron in the south of France, the Foreign Office wouldn't have been as annoyed.” Sources believe Sir Alan at the very least “stoked” the story and may have been responsible for tipping off the BBC (who broke the story) about her trip. “Allies of Priti firmly believe it was him. There was information in the original story that was only known by a small number of people in the Foreign Office. We are sure the leak didn't come from Dfid. Only someone like Alan Duncan had both the means and the motivation to do it,” a source said.
Everyone knows about the age-old rivalry within the Foreign Office, between political heads and senior servants. One has to accept that within the Cabinet and the government, there has always been competition and one-upmanship.
Meanwhile, supporters of Duncan have completely dismissed the allegations, saying he had nothing to do with the case. “This whole episode was entirely of her (Patel's) making and there would be no need for anyone to leak anything as there were pictures of some of her meetings no Twitter,” they said.
Popularity with the masses post-resignation
Priti Patel was the first Indian-origin member of the British Cabinet, who was democratically chosen. She has always been proud of her Indian background, and has established a close connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The country remains fascinated with Patel, as several organisations come forward in support of her. Last week, a reported 230,000 people used a live flight tracker app to watch her eight-hour, 4240 mile journey from Kenya to London when she was ordered to return to hold talks with PM May. Analysts believe her flight was the most monitored flight in and out of the country ever. Elated with the support, she said, “I've been overwhelmed with support from colleagues across the political divide. Of course, nothing is more humbling than the support I've received from my constituents.”
Seemingly unaffected by ongoing events surrounding her, Priti was all smiles during the annual Armistice Day of remembrance at Witham War Memorial in her constituency of Essex. It appeared as if the MP remains unaffected by the government's decision, and was in fact prepared for what was to come. In typical characteristics of a Patel, the Gujarati-speaking 45 year old was clicked laughing and talking to the media. She said she will now focus on her constituency. “I look forward to returning to Parliament on Monday where I will continue to be a strong voice for Witham and Britain.”
Whose loss? Whose gain?
A big Tory asset, supporter and promoter of ethnic minority voters, a working-class Thatcherite as some reports called her, Patel was without a doubt one of the prime assets of the British government. Her resignation was the last thing May's administration, which hangs by a single thread, needed. Yes, she failed to hold ministerial protocol, but when you look at it, there was no need for her to resign. May losing one of her colleagues shows her in a bad light. Patel's only offence was to conduct meetings without fully informing the Foreign Office or No. 10.
As a Cabinet Minister, The Daily Telegraph cites, she was entitled to hold meetings about her portfolio with overseas governments. She had apologised for her mistake, and as unwise as her judgment was, she did not require to pay such a hefty price. The minister's resignation reflects at the lack of authority in the administration. The PM could have, if she wanted, handled the whole episode differently.
