Gaza shows Britain is an oligarchy: Let\u2019s stop pretending it...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nBAE Systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOur investigation also identified five members of the House of Lords who have financial interests in BAE Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s Britain\u2019s largest arms firm, which manufactures<\/a> key parts for Israel\u2019s F-35 warplanes, described as \u201cthe most lethal\u2026 fighter jet in the world\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAround 15% of the F-35\u2019s components are made in the UK, including the rear fuselage, tail parts, and electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, inspected Israel\u2019s fleet of F-35 warplanes in November and declared they provide \u201ca very good connection\u201d with ground forces operating in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord Sedwill, a former UK national security adviser and cabinet secretary, has been a non-executive director of BAE Systems since November 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“They are representing the interests of the arms industry”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A further four members of the House of Lords \u2013 Viscount Eccles, Lord Gadhia, Lord Glendonbrook, and Lord Sassoon \u2013 hold shares in BAE Systems, according to their register of interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peers are required<\/a> to report any shareholding amounting to a controlling interest, or more than \u00a3100,000 in value. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBAE Systems\u2019 share price has increased by around 35 percent since 7 October, meaning the value of each of their investments may have increased by over \u00a335,000 amid the Gaza genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) spokesperson, Emily Apple, told Declassified<\/em>: \u201cThese unelected peers are profiting from genocide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nShe added: \u201cThey are representing the interests of the arms industry, making a mockery of international law, and subverting our supposed democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn continuing to arm Israel, our government, and the UK arms trade, are complicit in utterly horrific crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAn arms embargo will lead to a decrease in share prices – so it is unsurprising this government is prioritising the profits of arms dealers over Palestinian lives when so many politicians are shareholders\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thales<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnother firm we investigated was Thales, one of the world\u2019s largest arms companies headquartered in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its advisors include Baron Arbuthnot of Edrom, Lord Houghton of Richmond, and Lord Powell of Bayswater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thales UK boasts<\/a> how Arbuthnot brings \u201ca wealth of experience\u201d, having worked for nine years as chairman of the House of Commons defence select committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPowell was Margaret Thatcher\u2019s chief adviser<\/a> for defence and foreign policy. Houghton is a former British army general who was chief of the defence staff from 2013-16.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf these peers weren\u2019t enough, the board of Thales in France includes Baroness Taylor of Bolton. She developed<\/a> ties with the company as a defence minister in the New Labour government.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTogether, they work for a company with significant interests in the UK and Israeli militaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thales UK has a joint venture with Israel\u2019s largest arms firm, Elbit Systems, to produce Watchkeeper drones for the British military under the trade name UAV Tactical Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of September 2022, \u00a31.31bn of UK public money had been spent<\/a> on the Watchkeeper project.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe drone is modelled on Elbit\u2019s Hermes 450, which has been extensively used over recent decades to attack Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe British government is, in effect, buying technology that has been \u2018field tested\u2019 on Palestinians\u201d, observed<\/a> campaign group War on Want.<\/p>\n\n\n\nElbit\u2019s Hermes 450 drone was used in the recent Israeli attack on aid workers in Gaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the incident, CAAT raised<\/a> concerns that the Hermes may be \u201cpowered by a UK-made R902(W) Wankel engine\u201d, produced by a Thales\/Elbit subsidiary in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n How One British Business Could Stop Israeli Jets Bombing Gaza<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMartin-Baker <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe fourth company we looked into was Martin-Baker, a British engineering firm which makes ejection seats for Western fighter jets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we recently reported<\/a>, its explosive cartridges are relied upon by pilots flying Israel\u2019s F-35 jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLord Peach, another former UK defence chief and chairman of the NATO military committee, works as an adviser to Martin-Baker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As head of Britain\u2019s armed forces, Peach visited Israel in 2017 and was welcomed<\/a> by an official honour guard at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv. The IDF said<\/a> the visit was a \u201csymbol of the strategic bonds between our armed forces\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother three Lords have investments in US arms firms which profit<\/a> from the Israeli arms trade. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLord Patten holds shares in Lockheed Martin (the prime contractor for the F-35 jets) while Lord Levene of Portsoken has investments in General Dynamics (which manufactures<\/a> MK-80 bombs supplied to Israel), according to their register of interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our investigation also identified five members of the House of Lords who have financial interests in BAE Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s Britain\u2019s largest arms firm, which manufactures<\/a> key parts for Israel\u2019s F-35 warplanes, described as \u201cthe most lethal\u2026 fighter jet in the world\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Around 15% of the F-35\u2019s components are made in the UK, including the rear fuselage, tail parts, and electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, inspected Israel\u2019s fleet of F-35 warplanes in November and declared they provide \u201ca very good connection\u201d with ground forces operating in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lord Sedwill, a former UK national security adviser and cabinet secretary, has been a non-executive director of BAE Systems since November 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “They are representing the interests of the arms industry”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n A further four members of the House of Lords \u2013 Viscount Eccles, Lord Gadhia, Lord Glendonbrook, and Lord Sassoon \u2013 hold shares in BAE Systems, according to their register of interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peers are required<\/a> to report any shareholding amounting to a controlling interest, or more than \u00a3100,000 in value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BAE Systems\u2019 share price has increased by around 35 percent since 7 October, meaning the value of each of their investments may have increased by over \u00a335,000 amid the Gaza genocide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) spokesperson, Emily Apple, told Declassified<\/em>: \u201cThese unelected peers are profiting from genocide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added: \u201cThey are representing the interests of the arms industry, making a mockery of international law, and subverting our supposed democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn continuing to arm Israel, our government, and the UK arms trade, are complicit in utterly horrific crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn arms embargo will lead to a decrease in share prices – so it is unsurprising this government is prioritising the profits of arms dealers over Palestinian lives when so many politicians are shareholders\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another firm we investigated was Thales, one of the world\u2019s largest arms companies headquartered in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its advisors include Baron Arbuthnot of Edrom, Lord Houghton of Richmond, and Lord Powell of Bayswater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thales UK boasts<\/a> how Arbuthnot brings \u201ca wealth of experience\u201d, having worked for nine years as chairman of the House of Commons defence select committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Powell was Margaret Thatcher\u2019s chief adviser<\/a> for defence and foreign policy. Houghton is a former British army general who was chief of the defence staff from 2013-16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If these peers weren\u2019t enough, the board of Thales in France includes Baroness Taylor of Bolton. She developed<\/a> ties with the company as a defence minister in the New Labour government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together, they work for a company with significant interests in the UK and Israeli militaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thales UK has a joint venture with Israel\u2019s largest arms firm, Elbit Systems, to produce Watchkeeper drones for the British military under the trade name UAV Tactical Systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of September 2022, \u00a31.31bn of UK public money had been spent<\/a> on the Watchkeeper project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drone is modelled on Elbit\u2019s Hermes 450, which has been extensively used over recent decades to attack Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe British government is, in effect, buying technology that has been \u2018field tested\u2019 on Palestinians\u201d, observed<\/a> campaign group War on Want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elbit\u2019s Hermes 450 drone was used in the recent Israeli attack on aid workers in Gaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the incident, CAAT raised<\/a> concerns that the Hermes may be \u201cpowered by a UK-made R902(W) Wankel engine\u201d, produced by a Thales\/Elbit subsidiary in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fourth company we looked into was Martin-Baker, a British engineering firm which makes ejection seats for Western fighter jets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we recently reported<\/a>, its explosive cartridges are relied upon by pilots flying Israel\u2019s F-35 jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lord Peach, another former UK defence chief and chairman of the NATO military committee, works as an adviser to Martin-Baker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As head of Britain\u2019s armed forces, Peach visited Israel in 2017 and was welcomed<\/a> by an official honour guard at the Kirya Military Headquarters in Tel Aviv. The IDF said<\/a> the visit was a \u201csymbol of the strategic bonds between our armed forces\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another three Lords have investments in US arms firms which profit<\/a> from the Israeli arms trade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lord Patten holds shares in Lockheed Martin (the prime contractor for the F-35 jets) while Lord Levene of Portsoken has investments in General Dynamics (which manufactures<\/a> MK-80 bombs supplied to Israel), according to their register of interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Thales<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
RELATED<\/h3>\n
How One British Business Could Stop Israeli Jets Bombing Gaza<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Martin-Baker <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n