Matthew Parris, former Tory MP and columnist for the Times, said the issue is no longer about Priti Patel, but if Theresa May is "tough enough" to deal with this.

He told BBC News: "She has finally been persuaded that Priti Patel must go, but what she really needs is a proper cabinet reshuffle - one or two people need moving around.

"My suspicion is that she doesn't think her position is strong enough to move many people at once and she will just try to slot somebody in to Priti Patel's job without any major revision of the cabinet.

"But that is only putting off what really is needed - the stamp of prime ministerial authority over her cabinet."

Channel 4 News asks Lord Polak, who set up meetings for Priti Patel, about the controversy.

He doesn't give much of a reply...

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has praised Priti Patel for her work as a cabinet minister.

Speaking on a trip to Washington DC, he said: "Priti Patel has been a very good colleague and friend for a long time and a first class secretary of state.

"It's been a real pleasure working with her and I'm sure she has a great future ahead of her."

BBC News Channel

The editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard, said the resignation of Priti Patel was "inevitable".

He told BBC News: "I think it was pretty obvious to everyone that she was not long for the cabinet."

Mr Pollard said he was told by two sources that Downing Street knew about some of the meetings she had, and that the two meetings that emerged later in the week were known to Mrs May.

Number 10 has denied this.

But he still believes Ms Patel's position was "untenable the moment it became clear just how heavily she had breached the ministerial code."

He added: "As a cabinet minister you can't just go around and have those meetings. You do have to, in advance, let the rest of the government know."

Labour's deputy leader, Mr Watson, wrote that he was "pleased" to see Ms Patel resign, but said he had heard reports that were "difficult to reconcile with the government's account of events".

In his letter to the PM, he said: "I have been informed that while she was in Israel, Ms Patel met officials from the British Consulate General Jerusalem, but that the fact of this meeting has not been made public.

"If this were the case, then it would surely be impossible to sustain the claim that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was not aware of Ms Patel's presence in Israel".

For those of you just joining us, here are the latest updates:

• Priti Patel has resigned as international development secretary after a 30 minute meeting with Theresa May
• She was summoned back from an official trip to Africa
• Ms Patel's departure follows a row over unauthorised meetings with Israeli ministers earlier this year
• In her resignation letter, Ms Patel said she was sorry that her actions had "served as a distraction" from the government and that they "fell below the high standards" expected of a minister
• She offered the PM a "fulsome apology"
• Mrs May accepted the resignation, saying it was "right that you have decided to resign" after details about more meetings came out after the pair had spoken on Monday
• No replacement has been announced

Dear Priti

Thank you for your letter following our meeting this evening confirming your resignation as Secretary of State for International Development.

As you know, the UK and Israel are close allies, and it is right that we should work closely together. But that must be done formally, and through official channels. That is why, when we met on Monday, I was glad to accept your apology and welcomed your clarification about your trip to Israel over the summer. Now that further details have come to light, it is right that you have decided to resign and adhere to the high standards of transparency and openness that you have advocated.

As you do so, you should take pride in what you have achieved as Secretary of State. You have ensured that the UK aid budget continues to deliver value for money for British taxpayers, in support of our national interest, while helping some of the world's most vulnerable people. The reforms to which you secured agreement at the High Level Meeting in Paris last week are just one recent example of this.

Under your leadership, the Department for International Development has increased its work on economic development, including on trade, helping developing countries to lift themselves out of poverty and creating the trading partners of the future. I also welcome your efforts on the global health agenda, notably as co-host of the Family Planning Summit in London this summer, and DFID' s work in leading the humanitarian response in the Overseas Territories affected by the recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, and responding to the refugee crisis in Burma and Bangladesh.

Through this work and more, you have helped to ensure that, as the UK leaves the EU, we build a truly Global Britain.

You rightly take pride in being the first British Indian Cabinet Minister - a significant achievement which follows your work as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Minister of State for Employment, and your years of service to your constituents in Witham, whom I know you will continue to serve with great commitment and devotion.

Dear Prime Minister,

It has been a tremendous privilege to serve in your Cabinet since you became Prime Minister in July 2016.

During my time as Secretary of State for International Development, I have been proud to work alongside you, colleagues in Government and our partners across the world to support the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.

It has been a privilege to preside over a Department which has a team of remarkable individuals who often face adversity and danger in tough and challenging circumstances.

Our teams across the world are displaying the ingenuity of the human spirit every single day as they strive to save lives and give vulnerable people new opportunities. I have seen at first-hand the refugee camps and the projects we support across the world. Seeing how the aid and support provided by this country is transforming and saving lives is truly remarkable. These are experiences that I will never forget and will forever inform my views and outlook on the world.

In humanitarian crises and natural disasters, along with volunteers and charities, the Department's staff are amongst the first on the ground courageously acting to save lives by providing food, medicines and shelter. The human decency, compassion and commitment they show is simply awe-inspiring and they are a credit to our county.

Our actions to reform the global aid system, invest in new projects that deliver better outcomes and support economic development will make a lasting positive difference to the poorest in the world. I have seen the very best of Britain and know it will flourish on the world stage as we leave the European Union. We should all be very proud that across the world the Union Flag on our aid parcels and on the projects we support is seen as a symbol of hope. Our country is a force for good in the world and as Secretary of State for International Development it has always been my focus to act in the best interest of our great country.

In recent days there have been a number of reports about my actions and I am sorry that these have served as a distraction from the work of the Department for International Development and of the Government as a whole. As you know from our discussions I accept that in meeting with organisations and politicians during a private holiday in Israel my actions fell below the high standards that are expected of a Secretary of State.

While my actions were meant with the best of intentions, my actions also fell below the standards of transparency and openness that I have promoted and advocated.

I offer a fulsome apology to you and to the Government for what has happened and offer my resignation.

From the backbenches I will take an active role representing and speaking up for the good people of the Witham constituency. I look forward to highlighting the great entrepreneurial spirit in this part of Essex that has created new jobs and growth and to take my campaigns for new investment in infrastructure and services to the floor of the House of Commons.

I will continue to support you and the Government and stand up for the Conservative values of freedom, opportunity and aspiration. I will also speak up for our country, our national interests and the great future that Britain has as a free, independent and sovereign nation. I wish you and the Government all the very best.

With all good wishes, The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP

Laura Kuenssberg
BBC political editor

"It was precisely a week ago that I was summoned to the Ministry of Defence to ask Sir Michael Fallon why he was resigning.

"Seven days on, for an unconnected reason, Theresa May has just lost another one of her ministers.

"That time the resignation was rather differently handled - some private speculation through the day, then a discreet summoning to a quiet room in the department until one of the minister's team came to say: 'Be ready, the secretary of state is resigning, we are finalising the letters between us and Number 10 right now.'

"This time, the process has been more like a pantomime, with speculation rife for nearly 24 hours that she was on her way out, no-one in government moving to quash it, leaving journalists, on the first day of parliament's recess, free to track Priti Patel's plane online then her journey back to Westminster.

"Goodness knows what Ms Patel's Ugandan hosts, who were expecting her to visit today, make of it all.

"Beyond today's palaver, though, her exit throws up problems for Mrs May.

"It is never as simple as one out, one in."

Read more of Laura's blog here.

Vicki Young
Chief Political Correspondent

The BBC's chief political correspondent Vicki Young said Theresa May "decided to give her colleague the dignity of resigning".

She added: "Having had so long to think about it on the aeroplane, Priti Patel had decided that was what she was going to do."

But she said the response from Mrs May was "interesting", saying: "It was clear from Theresa May if she hadn't resigned, she would have been sacked."