Latest news with #RichardDannatt
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Anyone showing support for Palestine Action ‘will feel full force of the law', justice minister says
Update: Date: 2025-08-11T09:05:22.000Z Title: Content: Government defends decision to proscribe protest group after mass arrests at a demonstration in Westminster over the weekend Yohannes Lowe Mon 11 Aug 2025 11.05 CEST First published on Mon 11 Aug 2025 10.42 CEST 11.01am CEST 11:01 My colleagues Henry Dyer and Rob Evans exclusively revealed last week that Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army and a member of the House of Lords, urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at the request of a US defence company that employs him as an adviser. Here is an extract from their story: Richard Dannatt wrote privately to two separate Home Office ministers asking them to address the 'threat' posed by the group after its activists targeted a factory in 2022. The activists caused extensive damage to the factory which is run by Teledyne, a US multinational that sells technology for military, aerospace and other applications. Lord Dannatt has been a paid adviser to the company since 2022. Dannatt's involvement after the attack on the factory in Wales led to allegations heard later in court that the peer was 'seeking to influence' the criminal investigation into the Palestine Action activists. 10.54am CEST 10:54 As we mentioned in the opening post, the Metropolitan police, a force under huge budgetary and resource pressure, arrested a total of 532 people on Saturday at the largest demonstration relating to Palestine Action since the group was proscribed last month. Detained protesters were taken to prisoner processing points in the Westminster area. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. The Met said 522 people were held for displaying an item in support of a proscribed organisation, and there were a further 10 arrests, six for assaults on officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one arrest for obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty, and one for a racially aggravated public order offence. Updated at 11.05am CEST 10.42am CEST 10:42 Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The government has defended its controversial proscription of protest group Palestine Action, with the justice minister, Alex Davies-Jones, saying supporters of a 'terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law'. The comments come after a huge demonstration against the proscription took place in London over the weekend in which 532 people were arrested. The majority of those arrested, 348, were aged 50 or over, according to official figures. Responding to questions about the protest this morning on BBC Breakfast, Davies-Jones said: I want to thank the police for their bravery and their courage in carrying out their diligent duties in the line of public protection, and I want to state that the right to peacefully protest in this country is a cornerstone of our democracy, and of course, we respect that. But with regards to Palestine Action, they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and their actions have not been peaceful. They have violently carried out criminal damage to RAF aircraft. We have credible reports of them targeting Jewish-owned businesses here in the United Kingdom, and there are other reasons which we can't disclose because of national security. But they are a proscribed terrorist organisation and anyone showing support for that terrorist organisation will feel the full force of the law. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, proscribed Palestine Action last month under the Terrorism Act after activists caused an estimated £7m of damage to jets at the RAF Brize Norton military base in Oxfordshire. It made membership of or support for it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The government justifies the ban by saying it narrowly targets a group that has been organising serious criminality. But critics say the ban is a draconian clampdown on freedom of expression and is the latest erosion of civil liberties that have been brought in under successive governments. Palestine Action is appealing against the ban after a High Court ruling on 30 July gave it permission to do so. We will have more on Palestine Action shortly. Here is what else is on the agenda for the rest of the day: 11am: Reform UK press conference. 11.30am: Lobby briefing with the prime minister's spokesperson, who will likely be asked about the extent of the UK's involvement in the Trump-Putin Ukraine summit in Alaska on Friday. Late morning: Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition, visits East Anglia to highlight local concerns about the use of asylum hotels.
The Guardian
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Lord Dannatt urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at request of US firm
A member of the House of Lords urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at the request of a US defence company that employs him as an adviser. Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army, wrote privately to two separate Home Office ministers asking them to address the 'threat' posed by the group after its activists targeted a factory in 2022. The activists caused extensive damage to the factory which is run by Teledyne, a US multinational that sells technology for military, aerospace and other applications. Lord Dannatt has been a paid adviser to the company since 2022. Dannatt's involvement after the attack on the factory in Wales led to allegations heard later in court that the peer was 'seeking to influence' the criminal investigation into the Palestine Action activists. The police officer in charge of the investigation had told Teledyne executives that 'it would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case', according to evidence heard in the trial of one of the activists. Dannatt said he was completely unaware of the exchanges in the trial and said the allegations were 'baseless'. His actions on behalf of the company nonetheless demonstrate the value to companies looking to affect government policy of having a member of the House of Lords as an adviser. Dannatt, 74, has sat in the Lords since 2011. He is now under investigation by the house authorities over two sets of allegations that he broke parliamentary rules that forbid lobbying. One allegation stems from undercover filming by the Guardian. He has denied the earlier allegations, saying: 'I am well aware of … the Lords code of conduct … I have always acted on my personal honour.' In July this year, ministers banned Palestine Action, claiming it was involved in terrorism. Supporters of the group countered that the ban was absurd and draconian. The group is challenging the legality of the ban in court. Two years ago, four activists were convicted of conspiring to damage Teledyne's factory in Presteigne in Wales. They had broken into the factory to protest against the sale of military equipment to Israel. They smashed windows and computer screens, drilled holes in the roof, sprayed red paint, and set off smoke grenades. Prosecutors told the court that the damage totalled more than £1m. The four activists were jailed for between 23 and 27 months. While three of the activists pleaded guilty, the fourth went to trial. Transcripts of her trial were obtained by the Guardian and reveal allegations heard in court that Dannatt sought to interfere in the police's investigation of the protest. On 19 December 2022, 10 days after the action at the Welsh factory, Sgt Alex Stuart of Dyfed-Powys police, who was in charge of the investigation, sent an email to four of his superiors. He had spoken with the general manager of the factory in the UK. She had told him that a senior Teledyne executive based in the US had 'spoken to Lord Richard Dannatt about Palestine Action'. Stuart wrote: '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. 'Essentially there have been an indication that he wants this case to be explained and he wants to have some input on it. They haven't explained exactly what he wants, however I have told them that it would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case.' He added: 'I have explained that they need to establish what Lord Dannatt wants.' He wrote that if the peer was concerned in general about Palestine Action's tactics, he should talk to senior police officers at a national level. 'It's not best placed for him to actively speak with an investigation team about the matter in the way that I think he wants to.' Later that day, a DCI replied to Stuart: 'The chief constable is aware of the case and has received an update. Whilst Lord Dannatt has every right to communicate with the force regarding matters of concern, it does not mean that the matters he raises receive the response that he may want.' At the criminal trial in May 2023, James Manning, the barrister for one of the defendants, asked Stuart whether he was concerned that Dannatt was seeking to have some input into the case which at that stage was being investigated by the police as a live criminal investigation. Stuart replied: 'Yeah, to a certain extent, yes.' Manning then asked: 'And you thought that that was inappropriate … and you told [Teledyne] as much?' Stuart replied: 'Yes.' Elen Owen, the prosecutor, told the court there was 'absolutely no evidence' that Dannatt had tried to 'influence' the investigation. 'He was just asking for information and the email … chain makes it quite clear that the decision was made by the police that it would be inappropriate to, to make any contact with him and, and that was the end of the matter.' The judge hearing the case, Rhys Rowlands, agreed with the prosecution that Dannatt was not relevant to the trial and that there was no evidence to suggest he had tried to interfere. His opinion was based on a decision about whether the police officer could be questioned about his concerns. He allowed the questioning to go ahead, though ruled Dannatt could not be named. Dannatt described the officer's allegations as 'unfounded' and pointed to the judge's view that he 'had nothing to do with the trial'. He suggested the general manager may have sought to use his name to help present their case. Teledyne and the general manager did not respond to a request for comment. On 22 December 2022, Dannatt had an online call with the factory's general manager and another senior member of Teledyne. Dannatt told the Guardian that Teledyne had 'contacted me to seek my assistance in raising concerns by the company to the government with regard to attacks on their premises'. He added: 'They briefed me on the Palestine Action attacks, and I then agreed to write to the home secretary.' In his letter, Dannatt declared his role 'at the outset' as a paid adviser to the company, but said he believed 'the threat from Palestine Action has more widespread implications for security and the economy within the United Kingdom'. The letter to Suella Braverman was headed 'General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL', addressed from the House of Lords. He outlined the details of Palestine Action's activities at Teledyne's factory and at another factory run by a different arms company in Edinburgh. Dannatt wrote: '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 told Braverman 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'. He said 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'. 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.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
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.
Arab News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ex-British Army head urged Palestine Action crackdown at behest of US company: Report
LONDON: The former head of the British Army and a House of Lords peer, Richard Dannatt, urged government ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at the behest of a US arms company that employs him as an adviser, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. He wrote privately to two Home Office ministers, requesting that they confront the 'threat' posed by the activist group, the newspaper reported. It came after Palestine Action in 2022 targeted a factory operated by Teledyne, a US multinational that sells military technologies, and which has employed Dannatt as a paid adviser since the year of the demonstration. Four of the group's activists broke into the Welsh factory to protest the sale of arms to Israel. Two years ago, they were convicted of conspiring to damage the factory. Palestine Action was listed as a terrorist organization in the UK last month after it carried out a demonstration on a British airbase, damaging Royal Air Force aircraft. A court case that involved one of the four activists involved in the 2022 protest heard allegations that Dannatt was 'seeking to influence' the criminal investigation into Palestine Action. According to court information, the chief police officer leading the probe told Teledyne executives: 'It would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case.' Dannatt said the allegations were 'baseless' and he was unaware of the exchanges mentioned in court. Separately, the life peer is under investigation over two sets of allegations relating to alleged lobbying, which Parliament expressly forbids. Ten days after the 2022 factory protest, Sgt. Alex Stuart of Dyfed-Powys police, head of the resultant criminal investigation, sent an email to four of his superiors. He had already spoken to the factory's general manager, who had told him that a senior US-based Teledyne executive had 'spoken to Lord Richard Dannatt about Palestine Action.' Stuart wrote: '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. 'Essentially, there have been an indication that he wants this case to be explained, and he wants to have some input on it. 'They haven't explained exactly what he wants, however I have told them that it would not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case.' Later that year, Dannatt held an online call with the factory's general manager and a senior member of Teledyne. He told The Guardian that the multinational had 'contacted me to seek my assistance in raising concerns by the company to the government with regard to attacks on their premises. 'They briefed me on the Palestine Action attacks, and I then agreed to write to the home secretary.' The former army chief sent a letter to then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, which declared his advisory role 'at the outset.' In the letter, he said: 'The threat from Palestine Action has more widespread implications for security and the economy within the UK. '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.' Last year, he again contacted the government to address new 'attacks' on Teledyne facilities in the UK. Company officials had again requested that he raise their concerns to the British government, he told The Guardian. In a letter to Security Minister Dan Jarvis, Dannatt said he would be 'very grateful to receive assurance from the current government that the threat posed by Palestine Action continues to be fully recognized by our security services and that appropriate action is being taken.'
