London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Israel and Saudi Arabia buy influence in Britain as the lobbying scandal grows

Israel and Saudi Arabia buy influence in Britain as the lobbying scandal grows

Corruption in Britain is reaching startling new heights as lobby scandals threaten to engulf the government in a tsunami of sleaze. Leading the way, it seems, are both Israel and Saudi Arabia, each ruthless in the pursuit of backdoor access to the highest echelons of power in order to get their own way.
When Israel is involved in such activities, it is usually the Palestinians who pay the price demanded by right-wing, pro-Israel lobby groups. With the Saudis, though, it's usually a matter of vanity and saving face.

Newspaper headlines are full of lobbying scandals at the moment involving former British Prime Minister David Cameron, and it seems that Theresa May's government was also targeted, at least according to a former minister. However, it is now clear that Boris Johnson is also coming under fire for his alleged links to sleaze and dodgy dealings.

Johnson's government recently opposed the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel after, it is said, some arm-twisting by pro-Israel lobby groups. The move prompted the Palestinian Embassy to the UK to accuse Britain of flouting international law and subverting "the rules-based global order" while ultimately harming peace efforts in Palestine.

The accusation comes hot on the heels of a hard-hitting interview given by former Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan, who revealed that pro-Israel lobbyists had embroiled themselves in "the most disgusting interference" in British politics, with negative influence on Britain's Middle East policy.

To add to Johnson's woes, allegations have now emerged that Saudi Arabia's volatile Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pressed him to intervene in the takeover bid of Newcastle United Football Club after the Premier League decided to block the £300 million deal. Failure to act would, it was apparently said, have damaged Saudi-British relations.

This astonishing threat was made by Bin Salman last June. His message to the prime minister was to the point: "We expect the English Premier League to reconsider and correct its wrong conclusion."

According to the Daily Mail, Johnson told senior aide Lord Eddie Lister to investigate but the Saudis withdrew their bid for Newcastle United in July after the Premier League failed to approve them as the club's new owners. The EPL demanded to know if the Saudi state — in effect, Bin Salman — would be the owner of the north-east club, expressing concerns over alleged state-backed broadcast piracy of televised football matches.

However, the controversial prince's links to the shocking murder of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and the Kingdom's appalling human rights record will also have weighed heavily upon the EPL in its deliberations. Newcastle United supporters are still hopeful that the deal will be revived; it is subject to a private arbitration hearing, which has yet to start.

According to Lord Lister, the Saudis were getting upset. "We were not lobbying for them to buy it [NUFC] or not to buy it," he told journalists this week. "We wanted them [the English Premier League] to be straightforward and say yes or no, don't leave [the Saudis] dangling."

If Johnson was reluctant to intervene on behalf of Bin Salman, he certainly didn't show any reticence when pushed by Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) to make public his opposition to the ICC war crimes investigation. In a letter to the lobby group, Johnson wrote: "We oppose the ICC's investigation into war crimes in Palestine. We do not accept that the ICC has jurisdiction in this instance, given that Israel is not a party to the Statute of Rome and Palestine is not a sovereign state." The full story was published in MEMO earlier this week.

The extent of CFI's interference in government affairs has been exposed in a sensational political memoir by former Conservative MP Sir Alan Duncan. No longer constrained by office, he accused the pro-Israel lobby of blocking him from taking up the post of Middle East Minister at the Foreign Office.

The former government minister reveals all in the pages of In The Thick of It: The private diaries of a minister. The 64 year-old told journalists that the CFI has undue influence in British politics, citing how pressure was applied on Theresa May's government to block his new role. He only found out about the CFI interference when the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson alerted him. He insists that he was blocked from taking the post because he believes in the rights of the Palestinians.

Duncan described to journalist Michael Crick the culture of fear created by CFI. "A lot of things do not happen in foreign policy or in government for fear of offending them because that's the way it's put to them by the CFI." He went on to warn, "It's a sort of buried scandal that has to stop… they will interfere at a high level in British politics in the interests of Israel on the back of donor power in the UK."

Duncan was first made aware that he was a target for the pro-Israel lobby after a critically acclaimed Al Jazeeradocumentary exposed the operations of lobbyists working with the Israeli Embassy in London to "take down" a minister of the Crown. Duncan, fellow Conservative MP Crispin Blunt and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were all identified as targets.

All of this suggests strongly that the entire lobby system in Westminster needs to be overhauled. The only people who can make that decision, though, are the very targets of ruthless foreign rulers, lobbyists and others who know that threats and money can be used to buy influence in Britain. Everyone, it seems, has a price; and that is shameful.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×