A TORY MP has been sacked from his Government role as a ministerial aide after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
It emerged on Monday that Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his role as parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.
Michelle Donelan is currently Secretary of State at the department.
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.”
It comes after The Telegraph reported comments made by Bristow, MP for Peterborough, in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday, where he called for a “permanent” break in hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
Sunak had urged for a pause in fighting last week to allow for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the Gaza strip, but has not gone so far as to state there should be a ceasefire.
Bristow wrote in the letter: “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.
"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.”
In further comments made on his Facebook page, Bristow said: “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.”
Peterborough has a Muslim population of 12.2%, according to the 2021 census.
Bristow is also the chairman of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) British Muslims.
