The Conservatives are investigating a former Tory foreign secretary who says Security Minister Tom Tugendhat should be sacked for supporting Israel.

Former minister Sir Alan Duncan, who has called on the UK to stop arms sales to Israel, has been told by Conservative Party headquarters that he is being investigated after comments he made on Thursday.

The investigation is expected to take around two weeks and could lead to Sir Alan’s expulsion from the party.

He previously appeared on LBC calling for Mr Tugendhat to be sacked because he “does not believe in international law”.

Sir Allen, who was a Conservative minister between 2010 and 2019, cited Mr Tugendhat’s past condemnations of UN Security Council criticism of Israel’s settlement policy.

“Now, this may have been a few years ago but he’s never dispelled that, he’s never changed his view,” Sir Alan added.

He said: “How can the British government have a security minister who doesn’t believe in international law when all this is happening? I think he [Tom Tugendhat] Should be fired. “

In the extraordinary interview, Sir Allen also called for Lord Pollack, honorary chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel, and Lord Pickles, the group’s parliamentary president, to be removed from the House of Lords.

Sir Allen said Lord Pollack was “exercising the interests of another country rather than the interests of his own Parliament”.

He added that the nobleman and Lord Pickles were “the kind of Laurels and Hardys who should be thrown out together”.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said Sir Alan had effectively “accused two Tory colleagues, one of whom is Jewish, of dual loyalty”.

It said: “This is disgraceful; we understand that the Conservative Party has launched an investigation into Sir Alan’s conduct and we believe the party should consider whether his status as a party member is justified.”

Conservative MP Andrew Percy, deputy chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said: “Alan Duncan is a ridiculous figure and his accusation of a Jewish MP working for Israel at a time when anti-Semitism is at record levels not only makes The man was in danger and risked fueling conflict.” Jews hated Britain. This is a reckless, ignorant and dangerous comment. “

He urged Sir Alan to remember Hamas’ “rape, massacre and murder of innocent civilians” on October 7 and said supporting Israel was “confronting the terrorist rape and death cult”.

The row broke out a day after Sir Alan wrote an article for the New York Times. independent The killing of seven aid workers in Gaza is a “turning point” for Israel’s international reputation and the UK should reconsider whether the country is an “ally”.

He condemned Israel’s killing of seven aid workers, three of them British, as “callous”.

Sir Allen called for a moratorium on arms sales to Israel, saying: “By annexing the West Bank, in violation of international law, and now appearing to want to destroy Gaza as a place fit for human habitation, it has betrayed the enlightened principles of its founders and, by all means, it Their behavior is not in line with what a democratic country should do.

“We should honor our aid heroes by committing to ensuring the security of a Palestinian state. At the same time, all responsible governments must urgently assess whether Israel can no longer be considered an ally.”

A CCHQ source said: “Following comments to LBC this morning, Alan Duncan has been informed that he is under investigation by the party. These investigations usually take weeks and can lead to expulsion.”