Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher addressing the Conservative Party Conference at Brighton, October 1980
THE current Tory government is considerably more eager to provide Israel with military assistance than it was during Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, according to declassified documents.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak swiftly deployed Royal Navy vessels and surveillance planes to support Israel just days after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu launched an offensive on Gaza following attacks by Hamas.
But formerly secret files seen by Declassified UK reveal that officials may have hesitated to take such a stance under Thatcher’s rule.
The US relationship with Israel has evolved into a strategic liability, argues RAMZY BAROUD
As the government quietly upgrades the role of Britain’s special forces, their growing global footprint and near-total exemption from democratic oversight should alarm us all, says ROGER McKENZIE
