There Are New Conflict-Of-Interest Questions Over One Of Priti Patel's Israel Meetings
The international development secretary met an Israeli charity that has showcased products of a company directly connected to the Tory peer who arranged the meeting
One of the charities Priti Patel met on her trip to Israel showcased products made by a client of a consultancy firm directly connected to the Conservative peer who set up the undisclosed meetings, BuzzFeed News has learned.
The international development secretary's meeting with the charity, Beit Issie Shapiro, raises further questions about the potential commercial as well as political conflicts of interest from her trip.
The disability charity has showcased products made by OrCam, an Israeli client of a consultancy company partly owned by Lord Stuart Polak, who arranged 12 meetings for Patel during her trip and attended all but one of them with her.
Polak, who was made a Tory peer by David Cameron in 2015, is the honorary president of Conservative Friends of Israel.
OrCam makes a device intended to help people with visual impairments understand text and identify objects. It is listed as one of several Israeli clients on the website of TWC Associates, a consultancy firm part-owned by a company Polak owns with his wife. The peer is the
chair of TWC Associates' advisory board.
The charity
hosted an event with Google at which the OrCam device was demonstrated alongside other products. The event was also
written up by the Conservative Friends of Israel – who have also
hosted a demonstration of the product.
Beit Issie Shapiro told the BBC that Patel had discussed a "long-term partnership" between the organisation and the Department for International Development,
a claim she has subsequently denied.
Neither the Department for International Development nor the peer's firm responded to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.
The revelation of Patel's undisclosed meetings while on holiday with her family – including one with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – has left her fighting for her political life
It has also raised questions about Polak's role in organising the meetings. Unofficial overseas meetings by ministers are strongly discouraged, especially if attended by people with commercial interests, as they raise the risk of potential conflicts of interest, with no official record to demonstrate which topics were or were not discussed. (Continued)
There Are New Conflict Of Interest Questions Over One Of Priti Patel's Undisclosed Israel Meetings