Priti Patel ordered back to Britain as Cabinet chaos grows

Priti Patel has been ordered to cut short her trip to Africa and summoned back for an urgent meeting wth Theresa May.

The development on Wednesday morning followed revelations the International Development Secretary had two further unauthorised meetings with Israeli political figures which she did not own up to while apologising on Monday for undisclosed talks held during a “family holiday” in the country.

There is a growing suspicion the under-fire Prime Minister, who is coming under increasing scrutiny over her ability to manage her Cabinet, will have no option but to sack Patel – a prominent Brexiteer.

It will be the second ministerial casualty in a week after Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was forced to step aside over historic inappropriate behaviour.

Boris Johnson, a fellow high-profile Brexiteeer, is also under pressure to quit as Foreign Secretary after he said publicly that British woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was training journalists in Iran at the time of her arrest last year – something her employer and her family insist is incorrect.

The two additional meetings have left Ms Patel clinging to her job by her thread – one which may be terminally cut before the day is out.

It is understood she met Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan in Parliament on September 7, and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York on September 18, following the August meetings in Israel.

Downing Street was only apparently told about the New York breakfast with Mr Rotem when Ms Patel revealed the details of her trip to Israel, but only learnt on Tuesday about the meeting in Parliament with Mr Erdan.

No British officials were present and like her meetings in Israel, she did not report them to the Foreign Office or Government in the usual way.

She was accompanied at all the meetings bar one in Israel by honorary president of the Conservative Friends for Israel lobbying group Lord Polak.

Ms May has been accused of lacking the necessary authority to keep her Cabinet in check during the Brexit negotiations that have left her neutered.

Critics say this was being made increasing apparent by the seemingly incredible survival of the gaffe-prone Johnson.

Yesterday the Foreign Secretary admitted he “could have been clearer” in his comments about Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and was “sorry” if his remarks were misconstrued.

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It is feared her sentence could be lengthened by the ‘revelations’.

However, Mr Johnson grudgingly issue a half apology and said the UK Government “has no doubt that she was on holiday” in Iran and that was the sole purpose of her visit and he insisted his remarks could provide no reason for lengthening her sentence.

In the Commons Mr Johnson said: “I’m sorry if any words of mine have been so taken out of context and so misconstrued as to cause any kind of anxiety for the family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of course I am.”

Tory former minister Anna Soubry tore into Mr Johnson: “The lack of contrition is as shameful as the original error. Boris Johnson doesn’t understand the magnitude of the job and responsibility he holds.”