(September 9, 2026)
British intelligence has been given assurances by its Israeli counterpart that information sharing with the UK will continue as before, Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, has said.
Archiv: Whitehall (UK government / war ministry)
Exclusive: UK adopts SpaceX‘s Starshield for military operations, sources say
(June 2, 2026)
Britain has begun using SpaceX‘s militarised satellite network Starshield, according to two people familiar âwith the matter, making it among the first countries outside the United States to adopt Elon Musk‘s government-focused variant âof Starlink.
Starshield, developed for the U.S. government, is designed for military and intelligence missions with enhanced security features, while SpaceX‘s standard Starlink broadband service is aimed at consumer and commercial use.
US and UK discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz
Talks between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a meeting involving defence ministers from around 40 countries, according to the United States Department of State.
The discussions come amid continued disruption to global shipping and energy flows linked to the conflict involving Iran.
British Defence Secretary John Healey and French counterpart Catherine Vautrin are expected to co-chair the coalition meeting later on Tuesday.
When Mandelson could bring down Starmer
(March 14, 2026)
As my big piece on Starmer last month revealed, even after Mandelson was appointed, Starmer never quizzed him about how to deal with Trump. All this exposes a Prime Minister with Olympic levels of detachment. It has been known for a while that he has little interest in politics but those who have worked with him have been genuinely surprised at his lack of interest in the detail of governing.
(…)
The book also reveals that the decision to sack Mandelson was taken by McSweeney, not Starmer. On the day the PM defended Mandelson in the Commons, McSweeney was in a secure basement conference room without his phone when two of Starmerâs closest aides â Paul Ovenden and Stuart Ingham â came to find him. Ingham told him: âWe just canât answer these questions.â
McSweeneyâs response â âItâs unsustainableâ â was the moment the decision was effectively made.
Oiling the machine – inside the Number 10 policy unit
(November 20, 2024)
Though it has grown over the past fifty years, the Policy Unit today still comprises fewer than thirty special advisers and junior Whitehall officials. This little platoon tends to be most effective when it acts as both the prime ministerâs âeyes and earsâ, to borrow Wilsonâs phrase, and what Sarah Hogg, John Majorâs policy chief, termed âthe grit and oil in the government machine.â In other words, the Policy Unit works best by offering the prime minister unvarnished intelligence and advice about the direction of departmental policy, while giving Whitehall strategic clarity about what the prime minister wants or doesnât want.
âShahed-type droneâ that hit British air base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran: UK Defence Ministry
(March 5, 2026)
UK officials said that there were no injuries and âminimalâ damage but the Iranian made drone strike has brought the conflict onto European soil.
In a statement on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said: âThe Ministry of Defence can confirm that a Shahed-like drone which targeted RAF Akrotiri at midnight on 2nd March was not launched from Iran. In the last 24 hours, the UK has resupplied air defence systemns to British and allied bases across the reigionâ including UK-built air defence missiles.â
UK says drone attack on Cyprus base was not launched from Iran
A drone which hit Britain‘s Royal Air Force Akrotiri base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran as many had initially assumed, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed.
Officials reportedly believe the „Shahed-type drone“ evaded detection by flying low and slow on Sunday. It hit a hangar used by American U-2 spy planes and burst into flames.
There were no casualties and the MoD said there was „no damage to equipment inside the hangar“.
But the UK has still not confirmed where exactly the drone was launched from â and who was responsible.
GAME OF DRONES Iranian drone strike on UK air base in Cyprus hit hangar used by top secret US spy planes
Western officials insisted the drone was ânot fired from Iranâ.
An source said: âWe have acquired that drone and we can confirm that it is a Shahed-type drone.
âWe do know that drone was not launched from Iran.
âBased on type of drone and its range and ability, Defence Intelligence can confirm that that drone was not launched from Iran.â
Earlier Healey had signalled the drone was airborne for more than an hour.
Drone that struck UK base in Cyprus not fired from Iran, says MoD
(21 house ago)
The drone that hit the UK‘s RAF Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus on Sunday night was not launched from Iran, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence has said.
However, it added the drone was „Shahed-like“, referring to Iran‘s cheaply produced signature drones, which have been deployed en masse by Russia in Ukraine.
Drone that struck RAF Akrotiri was not launched from Iran, UK says
The UKâs Ministry of Defence has ruled out Iran as the source of the drone that struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday night, though it said the unmanned aircraft bore the hallmarks of Tehranâs signature Shahed design â the low-cost drones Russia has used extensively against Ukraine, as SkyNews reports.
UK will allow US to use its bases to strike Iranian missile sites, Starmer says
„We have taken the decision to accept this request to prevent Iran from firing missiles across the region, killing innocent civilians, putting British lives at risk and hitting countries that have not been involved.
„The basis of our decision is the collective self-defence of long-standing friends and allies, and protecting British lives.“
The UK reportedly shot down a missile heading towards a base housing its service personnel in Iraq on Saturday.
âFew will mournâ: UK defence secretary slams Iranâs Khamenei after death
Healey noted that around 300 UK armed forces personnel were âwithin several hundred yardsâ of drones and missiles that Iran fired at a US military base in Bahrain, while two ballistic missiles were âfired in the direction of Cyprusâ on Saturday.
âIt demonstrates how our bases, our personnel, military and civilians at the moment are at risk with a regime that is increasingly indiscriminate, widespread and uncontrolled in the attacks itâs mounting,â he said.
UK Defence Chief calls Iranian regime âsource of evilâ after Khamenei killed
Giving the first UK Government response to Mr Khameneiâs death, Healey told Sky Newsâs Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: âI think few people will mourn the Ayatollahâs death, not least the family and friends of those thousands of young protesters murdered on the streets of Iranian cities.
âIran and the regime heâs led for so long, itâs a source of evil, murdering its own citizens and sponsoring and exporting terror, including to countries like Britain.â
Britainâs Rulers Have Been Partners in the Gaza Genocide
Tory and Labour governments in Britain have provided every conceivable form of support for Israelâs genocidal project in Gaza. Peter Oborne, an independent-minded conservative journalist, has now provided us with a definitive record of their complicity.
Complicit: Britainâs Role in the Destruction of Gaza
Fearless and forensic, this incendiary indictment from one of Britainâs most celebrated political journalists lays bare the full extent of British complicity in the destruction of Gaza.
In a gripping narrative informed by original reporting, Peter Oborne tells how Britainâs Conservative and Labour parties converged to back Israelâs criminal assaultâin the process occupying disturbing common ground with the far right.
Rather than challenge this political cartel, British media colluded in its misrepresentations. The shocking result was that, as British authorities helped Israel set Gaza as well as international law aflame, almost everything the public was told about this momentous conflagration was untrue.
When citizens still turned out in their hundreds of thousands to demand a ceasefire, roiling the nationâs politics as they stayed faithful to the ancient British tradition of popular protest in defence of liberty, the political-media machine bared its fangs. The investigative reporting in this book exposes the methods by which peaceful demonstrations were smeared as âhate marchesâ.
Formerly chief political commentator at the Daily Telegraph and Spectator, Oborne knows the British establishment from within. In this book he names names and provides receipts. His demand is accountabilityâfor atrocities, and their accomplices.
UK PM Keir Starmerâs chief of staff quits over appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite Epstein ties
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmerâs chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday after taking responsibility for advising the prime minister to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK ambassador to the United States, despite Mandelsonâs past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Epstein storm could topple a world leader â but itâs not Trump
His premiership hung by a thread Thursday after a revolt by MPs in his Labour Party further damaged a 10 Downing Street operation staggering from crisis to crisis.
Starmer tried to clarify his earlier statement in parliament on Wednesday that he knew about the friendship between former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson and Epstein â but still made him ambassador to Washington.
UK will release files related to Mandelson‘s appointment in more Epstein fallout
The move came after the opposition Conservative Party said it would force a vote in Parliament on Wednesday calling for the release of emails and other messages related to Mandelsonâs appointment in 2024. Critics say he should never have been given the job because his relationship with Epstein â though not its extent â was known at the time.
The government has agreed to release the requested information unless it is âprejudicial to U.K. national security or international relations.â Itâs unclear how much material will be released, or when.
Is this the Prince of Darkness‘s final scandal? We look back at his worst controversies
Last week, the Express reported in detail on how Palantir secured a „record“ ÂŁ240 million deal with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in late 2025, forming part of a wider, more extensive, and occasionally undisclosed, ÂŁ670m+ package of agreements with the UK government. Peter Mandelson played a significant role with Global Counsel, a consultancy that lobbied for Palantir and was was viewed as enabling the firm‘s access to the Starmer government. The tight relationship between the UK government and Palantir attracted fierce scrutiny owing to Palantir‘s connections to Donald Trump (via co-founder Peter Thiel) and its participation in contentious AI-powered military surveillance.
As Mandelson‘s slimy rise and slippery fall have been documented over the years, it seems extraordinary that he could have lasted this long. Let‘s hope this sorry latest scandal relating to Epstein will be the last we hear of the Prince of Darkness
Demands Met on 73rd Day as Three End Strike
(January 14, 2026)
With this victory it has never been clearer that Elbitâs days in Britain are numbered.
In addition to this key demand being met, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate the various victories achieved across the duration of the hunger strike:
– In the past few weeks alone, hundreds of people have signed up to take action against the genocidal military-industrial complex, more than the amount of people who took action with Palestine Action over its 5 year campaign. During that 5 year campaign, 4 Israeli weapons factories were shut down. Elbit Systems is living on stolen time â we will see it shut down for good, not because of the government, but because of the people.
– Heba Muraisiâs transfer to HMP Bronzefield has been accepted by HMP New Hall, where she is currently held in intentional isolation from her family and friends.
– T. Hoxha has been offered a meeting with the head of JEXU (Joint Extremism Unit) at her prison, the very same organisation that orchestrates the prisonersâ treatment as âterroristsâ.
– Despite the cruel and constant medical neglect of the hunger strikers; including not logging food refusal, refusal of ambulances in life threatening emergencies, and degrading treatment in hospital; the national heads of prison healthcare have met with us at the behest of the Ministry of Justice.
– During the hunger strike, some of the prisoners started receiving bulk packages of witheld mail, and in one case received an apology from prison staff for a letter that was delayed by 6 months. Books on topics of Gaza and feminism have also been given after months of waiting.
– In pursuit of a fair trial, the hunger strikers demanded disclosure of export licenses for the last 5 years from Elbit Systems. After repeated requests, this information was disclosed to an independent researcher by the Department of Trade during the hunger strike.
Palestine Action Prison Hunger Strike Ends After a Victory in the UK
Three British activists jailed for alleged involvement with the banned anti-genocide group Palestine Action ended their monthslong hunger strike late Wednesday after the UK government rejected a $2.7 billion contract for a subsidiary of Israelâs largest weapons maker, Elbit Systems.
Prisoners for Palestine (P4P), which represents the hunger strikers, said that Hamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi, and Lewie Chiaramello would accept food again. Muraisi hadnât eaten in 73 days, while Ahmed refused food for 66 days and Chiaramello, who has Type 1 diabetes, fasted every other day for 44 days.
Former Army officers urge Prime Minister to halt arms sales to Israel
(December 24, 2025)
A group of four former senior Army officers have written a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for a full arms embargo on Israel.
In the letter, seen by the Times, Brigadier John Deverell, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham, Major General Peter Currie and Major General Charlie Herbert say there is clear evidence that the IDF is committing war crimes and the UK risks being complicit if they cooperate.
They are also urging Sir Keir to ban any involvement with Israeli defence companies.
UK military equipment used by militia accused of genocide found in Sudan, UN told
(October 28, 2025)
British military equipment has been found on battlefields in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of genocide, according to documents seen by the UN security council.
(…)
Months after the UN security council first received material alleging that the UAE may have supplied British-made items to the RSF, new data indicates that the British government went on to approve further exports to the Gulf state for military equipment of the same type.
British engines made specifically for a type of UAE-manufactured armoured personnel carrier also appear to have been exported to the Emirates, despite evidence that the vehicles had been used in Libya and Yemen in defiance of UN arms embargos.
„Five Eyes“ hinter den EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€nen des EU-Ministerrats
(29.11.2020)
Gemeint ist ein erster Schritt zu einer EU-weiten Regulation, die Plattformbetreiber de facto verpflichten wird, Ende-zu-Ende-VerschlĂŒsselung mit einem GeneralschlĂŒssel auszuhebeln. Dass diese vom britischen Geheimdienst GCHQ vorgeschlagene Methode favorisiert wird, bestĂ€tigte de Kerchove ganz nebenbei in einem am Freitag von der Nachrichtenagentur AFP verbreiteten Interview. Ein frisch geleaktes Dokument des Rats dokumentiert die tiefe Involvierung der Spionageallianz âFive Eyesâ in die EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€ne.
(…)
Was de Kerchove, der auch die Gaming-Websites als ĂŒberwachungspflichtig ins Spiel gebracht hatte, geflissentlich verschwieg, ist, wozu dies in jedem EU-Staat unweigerlich fĂŒhren wird, dessen Gesetze den Geheimdiensten ein Mandat zum Anzapfen der Glasfaserleitungen zum Zwecke der âGefahrenverhĂŒtungâ bzw. der âNachrichtenaufklĂ€rungâ verleihen.
Corbyn-led tribunal accuses UK of complicity in Gaza genocide
On June 4, Corbyn tabled a bill in the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry into the UKâs involvement in Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the supply of weapons, surveillance aircraft and the use of Royal Air Force bases. That bill, backed by dozens of MPs and supported by more than 20 aid groups, was ultimately blocked by the ruling Labour Party.
âIf the government wonât organise a public open inquiry, if Parliament wonât effectively inquire into whatâs going on, it remains for us to do it,â said Corbyn. âThis [event] will strengthen our arguments both in Parliament and outside ⊠An awful lot of whatâs going on is completely illegal and shouldnât be hidden from.â
The Gaza Tribunal: Inquiry into British Complicity
Find out more about the inquiry into Britain‘s role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
„Five Eyes“ hinter den EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€nen des EU-Ministerrats
(29.11.2020)
Gemeint ist ein erster Schritt zu einer EU-weiten Regulation, die Plattformbetreiber de facto verpflichten wird, Ende-zu-Ende-VerschlĂŒsselung mit einem GeneralschlĂŒssel auszuhebeln. Dass diese vom britischen Geheimdienst GCHQ vorgeschlagene Methode favorisiert wird, bestĂ€tigte de Kerchove ganz nebenbei in einem am Freitag von der Nachrichtenagentur AFP verbreiteten Interview. Ein frisch geleaktes Dokument des Rats dokumentiert die tiefe Involvierung der Spionageallianz âFive Eyesâ in die EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€ne.
(…)
Was de Kerchove, der auch die Gaming-Websites als ĂŒberwachungspflichtig ins Spiel gebracht hatte, geflissentlich verschwieg, ist, wozu dies in jedem EU-Staat unweigerlich fĂŒhren wird, dessen Gesetze den Geheimdiensten ein Mandat zum Anzapfen der Glasfaserleitungen zum Zwecke der âGefahrenverhĂŒtungâ bzw. der âNachrichtenaufklĂ€rungâ verleihen.
Conservatives SLAM Israel‘s slaughter in Gaza, demand Labour act now
(June 4, 2025)
Gaza has become „an abattoir where starving people are lured out through combat zones to be shot at“, says Kit Malthouse, a Tory MP.
„If the situation were reversed, we would now be mobilising the British armed forces as part of an international protection force“, he adds.
Parliamentarians call for an embargo on arms to Israel
I have written a public letter to the Foreign Secretary and the Business Secretary, with the support of the Campaign Against Arms Trade, calling for an embargo on arms to Israel and greater transparency in UK arms exports. 57 MPs and Lords have signed it.
This follows the Adjournment Debate on arms exports to Israel I held last month, which you can read about here.
Repeated calls for greater transparency from the government have so far gone unanswered. The bare minimum we can do is be fully honest about what we are sending to a state involved in the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians.
The components which create the fighter jets that Israel has used to level Gaza are 15% British-made â we cannot hide from that. Without British arms export licenses, these jets could not fly, they could not drop their bombs.
The government must impose an embargo on arms to Israel or risk being complicit in genocide.
Read the full letter below. You can use the arrows to scroll through.
Thousands of Afghans brought to UK under secret programme after data leak
The breach revealed the names of Afghans who had helped British forces in Afghanistan before they withdrew from the country in chaotic circumstances in 2021.
The details emerged after a legal ruling known as a superinjunction was lifted. The injunction had been granted in 2023 after the Ministry of Defence argued that a public disclosure of the breach could put people at risk of extra-judicial killing or serious violence by the Taliban.
Palestine Action damage military planes at RAF Brize Norton to intervene in the genocide
By putting the planes out of service, activists have interrupted Britainâs direct participation in the commission of genocide and war crimes across the Middle East. From Akrotiri, the RAF have flown hundreds of surveillance missions in support of Israelâs genocide in Gaza [1], and the base is also used for UK and US military cargo transports to the Israeli military [2]. In a speech to troops at Akrotiri in December 2024, Keir Starmer hailed the troopsâ efforts while stating that âQuite a bit of what goes on here canât necessarily be talked about [âŠ] we canât necessarily tell the world what youâre doingâ [3].
UK ‚currently‘ training Israel soldiers on UK soil, Labour admit
The news came in response to a written question at Westminster, put in by Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell. (…)
Pollard said: âAs part of routine defence engagement with Israel, the UK is currently training a limited number of Israel Defense Forces personnel on UK-based training courses.â
The news comes despite the Labour Government sanctioning two Israeli ministers â Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister.
The UK Government has also continued to send military equipment to Israel, and has declined to block exports of parts for F-35 fighter jets despite evidence that they have been used in Gaza.
„Five Eyes“ hinter den EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€nen des EU-Ministerrats
(29.11.2020)
Gemeint ist ein erster Schritt zu einer EU-weiten Regulation, die Plattformbetreiber de facto verpflichten wird, Ende-zu-Ende-VerschlĂŒsselung mit einem GeneralschlĂŒssel auszuhebeln. Dass diese vom britischen Geheimdienst GCHQ vorgeschlagene Methode favorisiert wird, bestĂ€tigte de Kerchove ganz nebenbei in einem am Freitag von der Nachrichtenagentur AFP verbreiteten Interview. Ein frisch geleaktes Dokument des Rats dokumentiert die tiefe Involvierung der Spionageallianz âFive Eyesâ in die EntschlĂŒsselungsplĂ€ne.
(…)
Was de Kerchove, der auch die Gaming-Websites als ĂŒberwachungspflichtig ins Spiel gebracht hatte, geflissentlich verschwieg, ist, wozu dies in jedem EU-Staat unweigerlich fĂŒhren wird, dessen Gesetze den Geheimdiensten ein Mandat zum Anzapfen der Glasfaserleitungen zum Zwecke der âGefahrenverhĂŒtungâ bzw. der âNachrichtenaufklĂ€rungâ verleihen.