Latest news with #Dannatt
The National
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The National
Peer urged crack down on Palestine Action at request of US arms firm
Lord Dannatt wrote to two separate Home Office ministers asking them to address the 'threat' the group posed after its activists caused damage to a factory run by US tech and arms firm Teledyne. But only after the firm – which the peer has been a paid advisor for since 2022 – asked him to do so according to The Guardian. Four activists were convicted of conspiring to damage Teledyne's factory in Wales after they broke in and caused an estimated £1m ($1.33m) worth of damage, according to prosecutors. READ MORE: Kate Forbes doesn't rule out return to politics after shock decision to stand down Dannatt wrote to then Home Secretary Suella Braverman after speaking with the factory's general manager and another senior Teledyne member on December 22 2022, reportedly warning that 'the threat from Palestine Action has more widespread implications for security and the economy within the United Kingdom'. He added: '[I] would be very grateful to receive assurance that the threat from Palestine Action is fully recognised by our security services and appropriate action [is] either planned or being taken'. Dannatt then went on to say that he had 'undertaken to brief the Teledyne main board in the United States that the threat from Palestine Action in the UK is being suitably addressed'. In court in May 2023, Alex Stuart of Dyfed-Powys police – who was in charge of the investigation into the activists – expressed concerns that Dannatt was seeking to have input into in the case. 'Lord Dannatt was chief of the army general staff. He's now a life peer. He has an invested interest [sic] in this aspect of UK trade and investment, particularly military projects,' Stuart wrote in an email to his superiors at the time. He said that Dannatt 'wants to have some input' in the investigation, adding: 'it would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case'. The prosecution denied there was any evidence Dannatt had tried to 'influence' the investigation, saying he was 'just asking for information', The judge agreed with that assertion. The Guardian also reported that Dannatt contacted the government again in September 2024 after 'attacks on Teledyne facilities continued and the company asked [him] to raise their concerns again'. In a letter to Dan Jarvis, the Labour security minister, Dannatt once again disclosed his role. Under the same letterhead, he said he would be 'very grateful to receive assurance from the current government that the threat posed by Palestine Action continues to be fully recognised by our security services and that appropriate action is being taken.' Dannatt is currently under investigation by the Westminster authorities over two separate sets of allegations that he broke parliamentary rules that forbid lobbying. The move to ban Palestine Action came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20, an incident it subsequently claimed, which police said caused about £7 million worth of damage. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
Roya News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
UK House of Lords member pushed crackdown on pro-Palestine group
A British member of the House of Lords personally lobbied government ministers to crack down on activists from the Palestine Action group, acting on behalf of a US-based military technology company. Lord Richard Dannatt, a former chief of the UK army and current adviser to Teledyne Technologies, reportedly wrote to two Home Office ministers following an attack on one of the company's factories in Wales. The factory had been targeted in 2022 by Palestine Action activists over the company's involvement in supplying military equipment to 'Israel', which caused an estimated £1.3 million worth of damage, according to prosecutors. In December 2022, after meeting with senior Teledyne officials, Dannatt wrote to then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, claiming that the 'threat from Palestine Action has more widespread implications for security and the economy within the United Kingdom.' He urged assurance that the group was being monitored by security services and that 'appropriate action' was being taken. He also reportedly told Braverman he planned to brief Teledyne's board in the US, suggesting he was seeking to reassure the company that UK authorities were treating the issue seriously and 'that the threat from Palestine Action in the UK is being suitably addressed.' 'The slow pace at which the British legal system has been working to take action against those involved in the trespass and criminal damage resulting from such 'direct action' has served to embolden Palestine Action and their continued recruitment drive for individuals who are prepared to commit arrestable offences,' he wrote. In a separate letter in September 2024, Dannatt contacted Dan Jarvis, then Labour's security minister, again seeking updates on the government's response to 'renewed attacks on Teledyne facilities.' However, concerns were raised about Dannatt's involvement in the legal process. During the court case in May 2023, a senior police officer involved in the investigation noted that Dannatt appeared to want to influence the proceedings, warning colleagues it would be 'unwise' for a member of the House of Lords to interfere in a live criminal case. Despite this, the court later ruled there was no evidence that Dannatt tried to influence the investigation. Prosecutors said he was only requesting information, and the judge agreed. Lord Dannatt is currently under investigation for allegedly breaching parliamentary rules that bar peers from lobbying on behalf of private interests. The UK government officially banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws on July 4, making it illegal to support or be affiliated with the group. Since the ban, over 200 people, including clergy and former magistrates, have been arrested for showing support.
Middle East Eye
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Peer sought to 'influence' Palestine action case on behalf of US company
A member of the House of Lords lobbied two ministers over a criminal investigation into Palestine Action activists on behalf of a US military technologies company. Richard Dannatt, an ex-army chief who works as an adviser to Teledyne Technologies, wrote to two Home Office ministers urging them to crackdown on activists after they targeted a factory belonging to the company in 2022 over sales of military equipment to Israel. Four activists were convicted of conspiring to damage Teledyne's factory in Presteigne, Wales, after they broke into the premises and caused £1m ($1.33m) worth of damage, according to prosecutors. Dannatt wrote to then Home Secretary Suella Braverman after speaking with the factory's general manager and another senior Teledyne member on 22 December 2022, warning that 'the threat from Palestine Action has more widespread implications for security and the economy within the United Kingdom'. He said he would be 'very grateful to receive assurance that the threat from Palestine Action is fully recognised by our security services and appropriate action [is] either planned or being taken'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Dannatt added that he had 'undertaken to brief the Teledyne main board in the United States that the threat from Palestine Action in the UK is being suitably addressed'. In September 2024, Dannatt contacted Dan Jarvis, Labour security minister, citing renewed 'attacks on Teledyne facilities', and saying he would be 'very grateful to receive assurance from the current government that the threat posed by Palestine Action continues to be fully recognised by our security services and that appropriate action is being taken'. An 'invested interest' Three of the activists who targeted the factory pleaded guilty, while the fourth went to trial. In court in May 2023, Alex Stuart of Dyfed-Powys police, who was in charge of the investigation, expressed concerns that Dannatt was seeking to have some input in the case. Stuart had written to four of his superiors on 19 December 2022 saying that a senior Teledyne executive based in the US 'had spoken to Lord Richard Dannatt about Palestine Action'. Palestine Action court case: UK decision makes it an 'international outlier' Read More » 'Lord Dannatt was chief of the army general staff. He's now a life peer. He has an invested interest [sic] in this aspect of UK trade and investment, particularly military projects,' Stuart wrote in an email. He said that Dannatt 'wants to have some input' in the investigation, adding that he had said 'it would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case'. In court, the prosecution denied there was any evidence Dannatt had tried to 'influence' the investigation, saying he was 'just asking for information', a view which the presiding judge agreed with. Dannatt is currently facing conduct inquiries over two sets of allegations that he broke parliamentary rules prohibiting peers from lobbying. The UK government proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terror laws on 4 July, making it a criminal offence to be a member of or show support for the direct action group. Since then, over 200 people have been arrested - including priests, vicars and former magistrates - after they were deemed by police officers to have expressed support for the group. Last week a High Court Judge ruled in favour of Palestine Action and granted them a judicial review to oppose the UK government's ban on the group.
Times
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Trump renames VE Day and is accused of ‘rewriting history'
President Trump has been accused of 'rewriting history' after he said the United States 'did more than any other country by far' to win the Second World War. General Lord Dannatt, the former chief of the general staff, said his remarks were 'extraordinary' as he made the point the US only joined the war after the attack on Pearl Harbour. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president wrote that 'many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II'. He said he was renaming May 8 as Victory Day for the Second World War and November 11, currently celebrated as
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Hi-tech battlefield robots to be built in Britain for the first time
The latest AI-powered battlefield robots are set to be manufactured in Britain for the first time. A leading German military hardware manufacturer is building a new facility in south-west England that will develop unmanned armoured vehicles that can be used on the battlefield. Drones and AI are expected to feature significantly in this year's strategic defence review, which will set out equipment and manpower priorities for the Armed Forces. ARX Robotics, a defence tech company, will build the first facility of its kind in the UK to manufacture drones that can be used for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation and transport. They can be controlled by a person using a tablet away from the battlefield, reducing the risk to troops, and connected to other vehicles and hardware. The company's Gereon land drone can carry 500kg up to 40km from its operator, and run for 72 hours on a single charge. They have already been deployed by Nato on the alliance's eastern flank, by the German military and in Ukraine. The new research and development and production plant will cost £45 million and create 90 jobs in the next two-and-a-half years, the company said. The facility will have capacity to produce 1,800 land drones each year, and will also work on upgrading existing armoured vehicles to operate autonomously, which could be cheaper than procuring entirely new drones. Drone technology has undergone major development since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, where both sides have used land, air and sea drones on the battlefield. Military chiefs have argued ahead of this year's defence review that the Army must become more 'lethal' and deploy more autonomous systems because of a shortage of manpower. Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said: 'The Army is always looking at technology to improve things. We've seen how glide bombs and attack drones have changed the battlefield as opposed to conventional artillery and we have been using robotic mini tanks for years. 'The question is, why send a man where a machine can go? 'I would hope the tech world is looking at new and innovative ways to conduct warfare and preserving human life is an important part of that.' The Ministry of Defence (MoD) hopes to triple British fighting power with the use of drones, AI, and a secretive programme known as Project Asgard, which officials have said would 'utilise new and emerging tech to become more lethal and better able to defeat the enemy'. At least 10 per cent of the MoD's equipment budget will now be spent on novel technologies, ministers have said. A senior defence source said the expansion into hi-tech equipment had been launched because the defence review must 'avoid hard capability choices'. 'If you cannot fix the present, then best take refuge in the future,' Lord Dannatt said, adding that autonomous systems would be a theme in the highly anticipated report. Project Asgard has been described as a way of harnessing developing technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones, and advanced sensors, all of which 'will help more quickly discover and process information and strike enemies on the battlefield'. ARX's land drones have already undergone field tests with the British Army on Salisbury Plain to tailor them to UK-specific needs, although no contract has yet been signed to buy them. The company is supported by the Nato Innovation Fund, a venture capital fund operated by the alliance to boost the development of defence technology. The range of military robots it manufactures are designed to be taken apart and upgraded piece by piece, which could save the cost of developing entirely new technology in years to come. It is the first time modular, autonomous land drones have been made in the UK. Ministers have said they are concerned about the 'resilience' of British manufacturing, including in the defence sector, in the aftermath of blanket tariffs imposed on the UK by Donald Trump. John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said: 'ARX is driving defence-tech innovation and I warmly welcome their £45 million investment into the UK which will create highly skilled jobs and support European security. 'With our commitment to spend 2.5 per cent GDP on defence in 2027, this government is determined to make the UK a defence industrial superpower – supporting good jobs and driving growth as part of the Plan for Change.' David Roberts, CEO of ARX UK, said: 'It is a privilege to lead ARX's expansion in the UK. 'ARX's operationally proven autonomous vehicles deliver an immediate capability boost for the UK Armed Forces. 'Our technology will accelerate the delivery of capabilities to front-line units by providing scalable autonomy across both new unmanned systems and existing army vehicles and platforms.'
