Rishi Sunak has been urged to identify and sack a minister who told Sky News they were concerned there might be peace in the Middle East in case it damages the Conservatives’ electoral prospects.
The SNP demanded the prime minister launch an investigation off the back of the comments, which the party branded “shameful”.
Earlier this week an unnamed Tory minister told Sky News’ deputy political editor, Sam Coates, they were “worried there might be peace in the Middle East” because the conflict in Gaza is perceived to be damaging the Labour Party’s relationship with its voters.
The minister made the comments amid a debate in the Tory Party as to when Mr Sunak should call an election after the budget last week failed to excite his backbenchers.
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Yesterday the prime minister finally ruled out holding a general election on 2 May – the same day as the local and mayoral elections – despite calls from some within his party to go early, telling ITV: “There won’t be a general election on that day.
“But when there is a general election, what matters is the choice.”
Mr Sunak previously said it was his “working assumption” that an election would be held in the second half of this year but he had not previously ruled out a May date.
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Responding to the unnamed minister’s comments, SNP foreign affairs spokesperson, Brendan O’Hara MP, said: “The UK government has repeatedly blocked SNP calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel – and now it seems Tory ministers actively want to prevent a ceasefire in case it harms their electoral chances.
“People in Scotland will be disgusted by these comments, which show the values of Westminster couldn’t be further removed from Scotland – where the overwhelming majority want an immediate ceasefire now.
“30,000 children, women and men have been killed in Palestine and Tory ministers are more concerned about their electoral chances than securing peace. It’s shameful.”
He added: “Rishi Sunak must launch an investigation to identify and sack the minister responsible for these comments – and he must end his opposition to calling for an immediate ceasefire.”
The war in the Middle East, sparked by the Hamas attack on 7 October which killed around 1,200 people, has created problems for Sir Keir Starmer among Labour members and MPs – with eight members of his frontbench resigning last year in order to back an SNP motion calling for an immediate ceasefire.
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Earlier this month Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, became embroiled in a row after he broke parliamentary convention to allow a Labour amendment to dominate an SNP opposition day on the Israel-Hamas conflict – leading to accusations he was trying to spare his former party the prospect of another damaging rebellion.
Sir Lindsay later apologised for the way he handled the debate, but said he had MPs’ safety in mind when making his decision and wanted to allow as broad a debate as possible on an emotional subject.
The row led to the SNP’s leader, Stephen Flynn, saying Sir Lindsay’s position was now “intolerable”.
A total of 93 SNP and Conservative MPs have signed the petition of no confidence in the Speaker that was started following the chaotic day in the Commons.
