US and UK on collision course over BAE
An international crisis is brewing between the United Kingdom and the United States over the US Department of Justice’s continuing investigation into the BAE. Today’s Guardian reports that the US has formally requested documents relating to the BAE/Al Yamamah investigation.
If British ministers defy the justice department, this could go on to endanger reciprocal cooperation and intelligence-sharing with the US. Britain depends far more heavily on Washington than it does on Saudi Arabia. One senior source close to the US department of justice told the Guardian: “Britain’s definition of national security might have to change under these circumstances.”
Ministers are likely to be challenged today in the Commons on whether they will seek to obstruct US investigators. The Liberal Democrats have scheduled another opposition day debate in an effort to smoke out the prime minister’s position. The Liberal Democrat deputy leader, Vince Cable, said: “Gordon Brown has made much fanfare about promising a more open approach to government, but if he was serious, he would find a way of opening the lid on the secrecy surrounding this murky deal.
“Allegations that the British government has been complicit in large-scale corruption are incredibly serious. It is profoundly unsatisfactory to invoke national security as the reason for this government’s refusal to pursue either legal action or parliamentary oversight.”
The full story - here - is well worth a read. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrat Voice blog has asked How far will Brown go to protect BAE from corruption charges?
Posted in Al Yamamah, BAE, United States, Vince Cable |
July 17th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
In response to Lynne’s thread on her website:
I watched the BAE debate and was astonished at the extraordinary attempt by the Solicitor General, Vera Baird, to humiliate us for daring to raise the subject at all. I thought that the ability to dismiss contrary views without being rude or offensive was one of the elmentary skills of which one would expect the SG to be a master. Her crude handbagging was not pleasant to hear. It contrasted markedly agaist Vince’s patient courtesy with all the angry interventions.
Elizabeth Patterson