BORIS

Johnson shouldn’t have backed Cabinet colleague Priti Patel after the revelation she met Israeli businessmen and one of the country’s most senior politicians on a recent private holiday in Israel. According to the BBC’s James Landale, Ms Patel didn’t inform the Foreign Office — thus breaking a convention that ministers must tell the FCO whenever they conduct official business overseas so as to stop any suggestion of private lobbying. Ms Patel’s enemies have suggested she was trying to woo wealthy pro-Israeli Conservative donors who might fund her in a potential future party leadership bid. We must be told what she discussed. Why were no officials present? Was No.10 informed? Israel is a key British ally but ministers mustn’t pursue their own private foreign policy with the country.