Lord Dannatt urged crackdown on Palestine Action at request of US arms firm paying him
A former head of the British Army and sitting member of the House of Lords is under investigation for allegedly breaching parliamentary lobbying rules after he intervened with government ministers on behalf of a US weapons manufacturer that employs him.
General Lord Richard Dannatt, who has served in the House of Lords since 2011, wrote privately to two Home Office ministers in 2022 urging a crackdown on Palestine Action, a direct-action group that had targeted a factory owned by Teledyne, a US-based defence and aerospace company.
The letter followed an incident in which Palestine Action activists caused significant damage to Teledyne’s site in Wales. At the time, Lord Dannatt had recently become a paid adviser to the company. His communications with ministers raised concerns that he was using his privileged position in Parliament to represent the interests of a company from which he received payment — a potential breach of rules banning paid lobbying.
Evidence disclosed during a recent criminal trial of one of the Palestine Action activists revealed that a senior police officer had advised Teledyne executives it would “not be wise to have a member of the House of Lords poking around in a live criminal case.” The officer’s comments were presented in court amid claims that Lord Dannatt was “seeking to influence” the criminal investigation.
Lord Dannatt told The Guardian he was unaware of any such remarks made in court and dismissed the allegations as “baseless.” However, his behind-the-scenes efforts have reignited debate about the influence companies can wield through their connections with members of the UK Parliament.
The House of Lords is now investigating Lord Dannatt over two separate complaints of alleged rule-breaking, one of which stems from undercover filming by The Guardian. Parliamentary standards prohibit peers from lobbying ministers or officials on behalf of companies from which they receive payment.
Lord Dannatt, 74, served as Chief of the General Staff between 2006 and 2009 and has long been regarded as an influential figure on defence matters within the upper chamber. His advisory role with Teledyne and subsequent intervention following the Wales factory attack raise fresh questions about the intersection of private interests and public office.
A spokesperson for the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards confirmed the investigation is ongoing.