Paul Bristow became the MP for Peterborough in 2019
By Becky Morton
Political reporter
A ministerial aide has been sacked from his government role after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Downing Street said Paul Bristow had made comments which “were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility”.
In a letter to the prime minister last week, Mr Bristow said “a permanent ceasefire” would save lives and allow aid to reach those who needed it most.
The government supports “humanitarian pauses” but not a full ceasefire.
During Prime Minister’s Questions last week, Rishi Sunak said “specific pauses” would allow more aid into Gaza but he rejected calls to back a ceasefire, stressing that Israel had a right to defend itself.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Paul Bristow has been asked to leave his post in government following comments that were not consistent with the principles of collective responsibility.”
Collective responsibility is the convention that all members of the government must publicly support government policy, even if they personally disagree with it.
Mr Bristow, who is the Conservative MP for Peterborough, was a Parliamentary Private Secretary – the lowest rung of the ministerial ladder – to Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.
More on Israel-Gaza war
In his letter to the prime minister on Thursday, Mr Bristow, wrote: “My constituents and I are deeply grieved by the heart-breaking and devastating humanitarian crisis now unfolding in Gaza.
“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.”
He added that some of his constituents had been directly affected by the conflict.
More than 17% of people in Mr Bristow’s Peterborough constituency are Muslim, according to the latest census.
It is a marginal seat, which he won from Labour with a majority of 2,580 at the last general election.
