Witham MP Priti Patel is fighting for her political future after further meetings with Israeli politicians were revealed.

The International Development Secretary had already been reprimanded, by Prime Minster Theresa May, forced to retract one statement and issue an apology for 12 secret meetings while on a “family holiday”, when news of two more broke.

Ms Patel is believed to have met Israeli public security minister Gilad Erdan in Parliament on September 7, and foreign ministry official Yuval Rotem in New York on September 18, following the unauthorised meetings in Israel.

Downing Street is understood to have only learnt on Tuesday about the meeting in Parliament with Mr Erdan.

No British officials were present and, like her meetings in Israel, she did not report them to the Foreign Office or Government in the usual way.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Priti Patel and Theresa May pictured the day after the New York breakfast (Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

During her “family holiday” in Israel she was accompanied at 11 of the 12 meetings by the Tory donor, and lobbyist for the Conservative Friends for Israel, Lord Polak.

Before the extra meetings were revealed, Downing Street insisted Mrs May continued to have confidence in Ms Patel.

During her initial apology Ms Patel said: “This summer I travelled to Israel, on a family holiday paid for myself. While away I had the opportunity to meet a number of people and organisations.

“In hindsight, I can see how my enthusiasm to engage in this way could be misread, and how meetings were set up and reported in a way which did not accord with the usual procedures.

"I am sorry for this and I apologise for it. My first and only aim as the Secretary of State for International Development is to put the interests of British taxpayers and the world’s poor at the front of our development work.”

Update 12.20pm: It is believed Ms Patel has been summoned back from Africa by the Prime Minister and will be landing at 3.30pm.