MP Paul Bristow has implemented a self-imposed news blackout after reportedly being sacked as a ministerial aide over his backing of a ceasefire in Gaza. Political website Guido Fawkes has said in the past half hour: “Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sacked Paul Bristow as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
“Bristow wrote a letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, claiming ‘it is difficult to understand how this makes Israel more secure or indeed makes anything better’. He’s been shown the door for breaking collective responsibility.
“Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his post in government following comments that were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility.”
“Over to Sir Keir…”
Mr Bristow wrote to Mr Sunak last Thursday urging a permanent break in the fighting between Hamas and Israel.
The Daily Telegraph reminds its readers that “the Prime Minister urged a pause in fighting to allow for more aid to get into Gaza, but has stopped short of pushing for a full ceasefire”.
In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Bristow says that thousands have been killed and more than one million displaced and “it is difficult to understand how this makes Israel more secure or indeed makes anything better”.
“He welcomed calls from Mr Sunak last week for ‘specific pauses’ in the fighting but 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’”, reports the Daily Telegraph.
On his Facebook page, Mr Bristow wrote: “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.”
More to follow
