This week, we learned we have a paralysed government unable to sack its own Ministers. It has been reported that after secret meetings in Israel, including with Prime Minister Netanyahu, Priti Patel, accompanied by lobbyist Lord Polak, tried (in vain) to divert humanitarian funding from the Department for International Development to the Israeli Defense Forces. She then misled the British public last Friday on whether she had told the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in advance, before issuing an apology and correction in a statement on Monday. There could not be a more black and white case of breaking the ministerial code of conduct. On Tuesday, my cabinet colleague Jon Trickett wrote to Theresa May outlining how she had broken four of the code’s seven principles:…

Source: The Times November 08, 2017 00:27 UTC