Junior Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds has resigned and said that he will not stand in his Boston and Skegness seat at the general election next year.
Number 10 has said that he informed Prime minister David Cameron of his decision on 4 August and his resignation is not related to the government’s stance on Gaza or the appointment of Philip Hammond as foreign secretary.
James Duddridge will replace Simmonds as minister with responsibility for Africa.
Simmonds’ resignation comes in the wake of the resignation of Baroness Warsi last Tuesday over the government’s policy and public comments about the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
The second resignation within a week raises questions about the government’s foreign policy at a time when major crises have broken out in UKraine, Gaza, and Ukraine.
