Cameron urges invitees to attend Downing Street Eid event amid boycott reports

Baroness Warsi is reportedly one of the Tory politicians planning to shun the Government reception over Gaza concerns.
Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron has urged people to attend the Government’s Eid celebration (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
PA Wire
Sophie Wingate15 April 2024
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Lord David Cameron urged invitees to attend a Downing Street Eid reception and “put aside political differences” amid reports some are planning to boycott the event in protest against the Government’s support of Israel.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to host Muslim figures for the annual celebration on Monday.

But the BBC reported that some Conservative politicians and business and charity leaders are shunning the reception because of their opposition to Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

These religious festivals are a time to put aside political differences

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron

Asked about the reported boycott, Lord Cameron told Times Radio on Monday: “I had an Eid celebration at the Foreign Office a few days ago and I think ambassadors from every Arab country turned up to that celebration, as did the ambassador from Israel.

“So I think all these religious festivals are a time to put aside political differences and think of the things that bring us together.

“And one of the things that brings us together in Britain is that we’re a country with an established church, but also a country that respects other faiths and respects other celebrations, and I think that’s the right thing to do.

“So I’d urge people who get that nice invitation to go to No 10 Downing Street, whether it’s Diwali, whether it’s Eid, whether it’s Easter, they’re always very good parties and very well done and I’d encourage people to go.”

Conservative peer Baroness Warsi is reportedly among those expected to avoid the Government’s Eid event.

Baroness Warsi, who was Britain’s first female Muslim Cabinet minister, has been outspoken in her criticism over the plight of people in Gaza.

A No 10 spokesperson said they understood concerns over the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory.

They said: “The Prime Minister looks forward to welcoming members of the Muslim community to the Eid reception in Downing Street later this week and celebrating their contribution to public life.”

“But we share the deep concern that many British Muslims have over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and our priority has always been to avoid further escalation in the region.

“That’s why we have long called for an immediate humanitarian pause with progress towards a sustainable ceasefire and consistently urged Israel and all parties to the conflict to abide by International Humanitarian Law.”

Israeli military action in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack that claimed the lives of 1,200 people, has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in