Priti Patel, Israeli meetings and the ridiculous reactions on Twitter right now
KEY POINTS
- Priti Patel is set to return to the UK after news broke that the MP had "secret meetings".
- Labour says Patel has "misled the British public".
News broke on Monday (6 November) that Priti Patel, the Conservative MP for Witham, had organised secret meetings with Israeli officials in August, while she was purportedly there on holiday. The MP has since apologised for not following proper ministerial procedures.
It was then alleged on Tuesday that Patel hadn't been honest about additional meetings with Israelis in September, and had further misled the Home Office. However, The Jewish Chronicle has cast doubt over that narrative by reporting that Patel was ordered by Number 10 to not disclose the meetings to avoid further embarrassment.
What is known, is that Patel looked into giving tax-payers' money to the Israeli military in order to treat wounded Syrian refugees in the Golan Heights region. This was after the idea had been turned down earlier this year by officials who had deemed it inappropriate.
Now many media outlets are speculating that her sacking is imminent; the only debate is when as she's currently on a flight back from Uganda according to multiple sources.
On that note, Twitter users have also been chiming in and Priti Patel is trending on Twitter.
One of the funnier elements of the debate is the ongoing speculation as to which flight she's gotten on and when she'll land. Most suspect her job termination will be shortly after meaning there's a scramble to be the first to find out when it happens.
If Priti Patel is flying back from Nairobi to London to get sacked, thereâs one direct flight which has just taken off. And we can follow live. https://t.co/oAww2v562q
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) November 8, 2017
Priti Patel was last active on WhatsApp at 6:16am our time. Could she be on the Nairobi to LHR flight which left at 6:30am our time? https://t.co/6lC5RouCWt pic.twitter.com/cwWm2PyvdV
— Alex Wickham (@WikiGuido) November 8, 2017
And then there's the more humorous takes on the political fiasco which mostly are jokes on it being a 'holiday'.
Any journalist who can find evidence of Priti Patel doing actual holiday stuff on her trip to Israel should win a Pulitzer.
— Liam O'Hare (@Liam_O_Hare) November 8, 2017
Priti Patel's Africa tour: new video. pic.twitter.com/mtKR9ZeKPb
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) November 8, 2017
Finally, the incident has brought out internet sleuths and their concern for the MP's ability to keep up to speed.
Bad news. Priti Patel's Kenya Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner does not have WiFi. She is not reading our tweets. pic.twitter.com/7pMqg0OgHu
— Alex Wickham (@WikiGuido) November 8, 2017
Whatever will happen when Patel lands, the situation is a clear test of May's government. While a lot of us might be making light of the situation, we're simultaneously watching what happens next.
