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| Lady Warsi resigns over government’s ‘morally reprehensible’ stance on Gaza | Lady Warsi resigns over government’s ‘morally reprehensible’ stance on Gaza |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Lady Warsi, the senior Foreign Office minister, has resigned from the government in protest at its policy on Gaza, describing it as “morally indefensible”. | |
| Warsi announced her departure on Twitter on Tuesday, saying: “With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza.” | |
| In her resignation letter, Warsi said the government’s “approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically”. | In her resignation letter, Warsi said the government’s “approach and language during the current crisis in Gaza is morally indefensible, is not in Britain’s national interest and will have a long term detrimental impact on our reputation internationally and domestically”. |
| She said the UK’s stance was “not consistent with the rule of law and our long support for international justice”, adding: “The British government can only play a constructive role in solving the Middle East crisis if it is an honest broker and at the moment I do not think it is.” | |
| With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza | With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza |
| In an interview with the Huffington Post, Warsi said: “Our position not to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN in November 2012 placed us on the wrong side of history and is something I deeply regret not speaking out against at the time.” | |
| Now that she has quit the government, the Tory peer said she wanted to “speak more freely” on the issue and her first demand after handing in her resignation letter was for the UK to introduce an arms embargo against Israel. | |
| “It appals me that the British government continues to allow the sale of weapons to a country, Israel, that has killed almost 2,000 people, including hundreds of kids, in the past four weeks alone. The arms exports to Israel must stop.” | |
| Warsi has been known to be unhappy at David Cameron’s failure to unequivocally condemn Israel’s incursion into Gaza or the mounting death toll. | |
| On Monday, the prime minister’s spokesman refused to say if Israel was behaving disproportionately or doing enough to prevent civilian casualties. | On Monday, the prime minister’s spokesman refused to say if Israel was behaving disproportionately or doing enough to prevent civilian casualties. |
| Responding to the resignation, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The prime minister regrets that Baroness Warsi has decided to stand down and is grateful for the excellent work that she has done, both as a minister and in opposition. | |
| “Our policy has always been consistently clear - the situation in Gaza is intolerable and we’ve urged both sides to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.” | |
| Warsi became the first Muslim to sit in the cabinet when she was made Conservative party co-chair by Cameron after the 2010 general election. She was subsequently moved to the post of minister of state at the FCO and minister for faith and communities in the prime minister’s 2012 reshuffle – a move widely regarded as a demotion. | |
| Cameron is due to fly to Portugal on Tuesday morning to rejoin his family on holiday after attending the first world war commemorations in France and Belgium. | Cameron is due to fly to Portugal on Tuesday morning to rejoin his family on holiday after attending the first world war commemorations in France and Belgium. |
| Warsi has been increasingly critical of Israel’s behaviour. She recently tweeted: “Can people stop trying to justify the killing of children. Whatever our politics there can never be justification, surely only regret.” | Warsi has been increasingly critical of Israel’s behaviour. She recently tweeted: “Can people stop trying to justify the killing of children. Whatever our politics there can never be justification, surely only regret.” |
| There was a high-level campaign to remove Warsi before last month’s reshuffle, particularly after she appeared on ITV’s The Agenda and posed with a mock front page about the “Eton Mess” at the top of the government. | |
| Warsi is known to be keeping a diary and there have been fears she will publish it before the election in an effort to expose the upper-class coterie in Cameron’s inner circle. | Warsi is known to be keeping a diary and there have been fears she will publish it before the election in an effort to expose the upper-class coterie in Cameron’s inner circle. |
| She was removed as Conservative party co-chair and then, in a battle with No 10, was given the title of senior Foreign Office minister. | She was removed as Conservative party co-chair and then, in a battle with No 10, was given the title of senior Foreign Office minister. |
| Her opponents will claim her resignation on a matter of principle is a cynical act, but supporters will say Cameron’s position on Israel has been over-supportive, repeatedly blaming Hamas for the conflict and the breakdown of successive ceasefires. Ironically, Warsi’s decision to quit comes as a three-day ceasefire has been agreed, and both sides are due to enter talks in Cairo. | |
| Her resignation also threatened to reveal disagreement within the Tory party over Israel. | Her resignation also threatened to reveal disagreement within the Tory party over Israel. |
| The London mayor, Boris Johnson, responded to Warsi’s resignation by saying it was “very sad” when any government minister stood down. | The London mayor, Boris Johnson, responded to Warsi’s resignation by saying it was “very sad” when any government minister stood down. |
| “I think she will be back as soon as possible. My view as mayor of London is that it is not the function of the mayor to get deeply embroiled in this,” he said on LBC radio’s Ask Boris phone-in. | “I think she will be back as soon as possible. My view as mayor of London is that it is not the function of the mayor to get deeply embroiled in this,” he said on LBC radio’s Ask Boris phone-in. |
| He added that events in Gaza were “utterly horrifying and unacceptable”, but said “there is no point in politicians getting in a bidding war about issuing the most frenzied denunciation of what is going on”. | |
| Referring to the Israeli bombing, Johnson said: “I cannot for the life of me see why this is a sensible strategy. It is not my function to arbitrate or adjudicate in this matter – I am a passionate supporter of Israel. I cannot for the life of me see the purpose of this. It is disproportionate, ugly and tragic and will not do Israel any good in the long run.” | |
| Lord Gummer, a former Conservative cabinet minister, tweeted that Warsi was a “thoroughly good minister. Real principle. Deserves commendation not ritual scorn”. | |
| Other prominent Conservatives, such as the commentator Tim Montgomerie, pointed out that she had previously shown support for Hamas. | Other prominent Conservatives, such as the commentator Tim Montgomerie, pointed out that she had previously shown support for Hamas. |
| Douglas Alexander, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, said: “Most reasonably minded people across Britain will agree with the sentiments expressed by Baroness Warsi in her resignation statement today. It is a sad reflection of the prime minister’s misjudgment of the crisis in Gaza that this capable minister has felt the need to leave the government. | |
| “Labour has consistently opposed the Israeli incursion into Gaza and has repeatedly urged the prime minister to speak up and to speak out against the horrific loss of life witnessed in recent weeks, but he has so far failed to do so. | |
| “We welcome the decision by Israel to withdraw its forces, but both sides must now fully respect the ceasefire to prevent further suffering and loss of life.” |