 | |
| Abbreviation | CfoP |
|---|---|
| Formation | May 2023; 2 years ago (2023-05)[1] |
| Founder | Sayeeda Warsi, Flick Drummond |
| Location |
|
Chair | Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi[2] |
| Affiliations | Conservative Party |
| Website | www |
TheConservative Friends of Palestine (CFoP) is a parliamentary group within theBritish Conservative Party that promotes and advocates for "peace and justice" inPalestine[3] and is currently chaired by ex-cabinet ministerSayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi[2] who co-founded it withFlick Drummond.[4]
Within the first two months of founding, there were 35 Conservative MP and members of the House of Lords in the group, making up just 6% of the total, in contrast toConservative Friends of Israel which represent two thirds of Conservative parliamentarians.[1][5]
It was founded in May 2023[1] with the view of being a vehicle"to provide accurate and balanced information to parliamentarians on the issue of Palestine and Israel" and was originally intended to be named theConservative Friends of Palestine and Israel to reflect this. The perceived lack of balance within the party led to its current name.[6] Its founding was welcomed by Ben Jamal, the Director of thePalestine Solidarity Campaign stating that "any counter to the dominant voice of Conservative Friends of Israel in the Conservative Party is to be welcomed."[6] It was founded as a "platform to engage and learn beyond the narrow remit" ofConservative Friends of Israel.[7]
Since its founding it has engaged directly with the British-Israel and British-Palestinian communities[7] and currently works with the pro-Palestinian[4]Conservative Middle East Council to helping "lawmakers grasp the region as a whole."[6]
A Conservative Friends of Palestine group was launched at a meeting addressed by the PLO's London representative, Faisal Oweida, at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool in October, 1989.[8]
An unrelated, grass-root group founded in 2019 also previously existed with the same name but disbanded in late 2022,[6] whichFlick Drummond claims that she and Warsi "re-founded".[7][4]
As of 2024, the parliamentary members of the group are:[9]
| MP | Constituency |
|---|---|
| Flick Drummond | Meon Valley |
| Richard Fuller | North East Bedfordshire |
| Leo Docherty | Aldershot |
| Jonathan Lord | Woking |
| Neil O'Brien | Harborough |
| Mark Pritchard | The Wrekin |
| Edward Leigh | Gainsborough |
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