Mark Simmonds, the junior Foregin Office minister with responsibility for Africa, has resigned from the Government, according to No 10.
The Prime Minister’s spokeswoman said Simmonds’ resignation was not related to the UK Government’s handling of Gaza, which was the reason Baroness Warsi gave for her resignation from the Cabinet last Tuesday.
Downing Street said that the promotion of Philip Hammond to Foreign Secretary in the reshuffle was also unrelated.
Simmonds wrote to David Cameron several weeks ago saying he has decided not to stand in his Boston and Skegness seat at the general election next May. He was praised by the Prime Minister, but tensions had risen after Simmonds missed last summer’s vote on British intervention in Syria because he was in a meeting with Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, on the parliamentary estate.
No 10 said that Simmonds had agreed to resign at the time of last month’s reshuffle, but stayed on in post to chair a meeting last week of the UN Security Council on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He will be replaced by MP James Duddridge.
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