Priti Patel has effectively been sacked by Theresa May after it was revealed she held undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials.
Downing Street confirmed on Wednesday evening that after a 33-minute meeting the international development secretary had 'resigned' from her post, though she had been forced to tender her resignation by the PM.
Patel, 45, was ordered by the prime minister this morning to abandon an official trip to Africa and return home.
At one point, 22,000 people were tracking her Kenya Airways flight live online as she made her way back to the UK to get sacked.
After the meeting, the MP admitted her "actions fell below the high standards that are expected" in her formal resignation letter to May, a line that echoed Sir Michael Fallon's justification for quitting as Defence Secretary a week ago.
A friend of the fallen cabinet minister told HuffPost UK: "She's a tough cookie and she's not finished yet."
In her resignation letter, Patel said: "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 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."
In response, the Prime Minister said: "Now that further details have come to light, it is right that you have decided to resign."
In a letter to the former cabinet minister, May said that close allies the UK and Israel 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," she wrote.
The resignation came after Patel's protracted return to the UK from Kenya, which was played out most of the day on social media.
BBC News broadcast live pictures of Patel's plane as it landed at Heathrow airport and then followed her ministerial car from a helicopter as it drove to London.