THE Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has been forced to admit that Israel’s biggest arms firm Elbit discussed plans to invest £100 million in Britain with its chief scientific adviser last June.

A freedom of information request by Private Eye revealed the meeting with Professor Julia Sutcliffe, whom Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch appointed to her role in February last year.

DBT’s public register of official meetings had not mentioned the meeting with the former chief technologist at BAE Systems.