If Sayeeda Warsi knows what the government policy is on Gaza, could she please tell the rest of us?

It’s rare for a minister to resign on a point of policy principle. It’s equally rare for a politician to resign over an absence of policy.

Today Sayeeda Warsi has done both, saying that she could no longer support the current government position on Gaza.

But if Warsi knows what the government’s position on Gaza is, then it’s be helpful if she could tell the rest of us. Trying to divine meaning from Cameron’s statements so far has been difficult. Indeed, it was only a few days ago that Ed Miliband was criticising Cameron’s “silence” on Gaza, which he called “inexplicable”. It’s unclear that there is a coherent British government policy on this matter – a serious of platitudinous holding statements where a plan for a safe and secure future for the Middle East should be.

In the days to come, Warsi may be able to clarify things further. As a minister in the Foreign Office, she’ll have a clear idea of what is being said both privately and publicly.

How Downing Street responds to Warsi’s resignation will be instructive.

On one hand, the champagne corks will be popping in Downing Street. A minister who the Prime Minister clearly wants rid of has resigned when most hacks are on holiday, and while most focus is either on the WW1 Centenary or tonight’s Scottish Independence debate.

On the other hand, the Tories have lost someone who was way outside of the Tory stereotype from the front benches – a Northern, Muslim woman (albeit unelected). And they’ve lost her on a point of principle, which elevates her resignation to a level unmatched by that of more grubby departures like that of Liam Fox. In media terms, this will propel Warsi’s resignation to the top of the news bulletins, incorporating her departure into stories about the latest ceasefire – which means that Cameron, desperate to stay out of the story, part of the story.

The potential for this to get ugly is obvious. Already briefings have started to appear suggesting that Cameron wanted rid of Warsi during the reshuffle but had second thoughts (which seems like nonsense, he was happy to sack and reshuffle others). And this is far from the start to his tenure at the FCO that Philip Hammond will have wanted.

Regardless of your position on the unfolding horrors in Gaza – or your personal views on Warsi – it’s good to see a minister taking collective government responsibility seriously. All too often those who have serious moral or professional disagreements on policy prefer to anonymously brief one line whilst cravenly parroting another. Warsi has made her views crystal clear – it’s now up to Cameron to respond.

Update: Here’s Warsi’s resignation letter. She calls government policy “morally indefensible”, and whilst praising William Hague, she’s scathing about the decision to sack experienced figures Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve. There’s no mention of new Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond either – perhaps his style was in part responsible for this resignation?