Declassified has discovered a secret UK government committee that held meetings with an arms dealer, former oil executive and ex-spy — but parliament is told there are ‘no records’ of what was discussed.
Arms Trade
UK military deepens ties with regime accused of funding terror groups
by MARK CURTIS | 23 June 2021
TAGGED: Qatar, Terrorism
Britain’s Royal Air Force is about to establish a second fighter squadron with Qatar, an authoritarian Gulf state accused of supporting extremist groups across the Middle East which the UK itself opposes and says promote terrorism.
As the UK hypes the China ‘threat’, it sells the country billions in military-related equipment
by MARK CURTIS | 7 June 2021
TAGGED: China
While British ministers claim China is an increasing threat to UK interests, they have approved the sale of £2.6bn worth of military and dual civilian/military equipment to the country in the past three years. The exports will likely benefit China’s navy and airforce — as the UK government laments the rise of Chinese military power.
Largest protests since Arab Spring sweep Oman as UK support for regime rises
by PHIL MILLER | 26 May 2021
TAGGED: Oman, Police
As Oman’s UK-trained police confront popular protests against unemployment and corruption in the dictatorial Gulf state, the British military prepares to deploy an aircraft carrier to a new UK naval base in Oman, and the head of the Royal Air Force praises his Omani counterpart.
How the UK military supports Israel’s combat operations against Palestinians
by MARK CURTIS | 15 May 2021
TAGGED: Israel, Palestine
As violence escalates in Israel and Palestine, we take readers through the expanding military relationship between the UK and Israel, which has been erased by the British media. The deepening alliance involves UK military training of Israel for combat, joint exercises, arms deals, as well as intelligence cooperation.
Helicopter attacks Nigerian civilians after British pilot training
by PHIL MILLER | 13 May 2021
TAGGED: Cobham, Nigeria
Declassified visited villages in Nigeria ruined by indiscriminate air strikes, which killed civilians, levelled marketplaces and hit a school — months after we revealed Nigerian air force pilots were secretly training in the UK.
Nazanin’s story in Iran is not just a tragedy, it’s a warning
by RICHARD RATCLIFFE | 1 May 2021
TAGGED: Iran
As Iran sentences Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to a further two years in Iran, her husband outlines why the UK’s secretive, unaccountable arms trade is a danger to British citizens and why his family remains haunted by an unkept promise made by the UK government.
BAE Systems sold weaponry worth £17.6bn to Saudis during Yemen war
by PHIL MILLER | 16 April 2021
TAGGED: BAE Systems, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
The scale of British arms sales to Riyadh rises again amid secrecy over a meeting between BAE and trade minister Liam Fox after the Khashoggi killing. Documents show both the UK trade ministry and BAE sought to keep arming Saudi Arabia in the immediate wake of the dissident’s murder.
Days after Khashoggi killing, British military sold crucial spare parts to Saudi air force bombing Yemen
by PHIL MILLER | 1 April 2021
TAGGED: BAE Systems, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi criticised the Saudi regime for its ‘cruel war’ in Yemen and weeks later it murdered him, sparking an international outcry. But while his fiancée frantically searched for his body, Britain’s military quietly sold spare parts to Saudi Arabia’s air force, so it could keep bombing Yemen. And that arms deal is just one in a series of controversial weapons exports uncovered by Declassified UK.
Dubai princess kidnapper is praised by UK at arms fair
by PHIL MILLER | 2 March 2021
TAGGED: UAE
Britain’s top military officer in the Middle East said leaders of a Gulf state are offering their young people a ‘hugely exciting future’ – days after the country’s unelected prime minister was accused of holding his daughters hostage, Declassified has found.