Lord Dannatt Advocates for Crackdown on Palestine Action on Behalf of American Company: Insights by Richard Dannatt.

A member of the House of Lords, Richard Dannatt, urged the government to clamp down on Palestine Action at the behest of a US defense company that employs him as an advisor. Dannatt, a former head of the British Army, wrote private letters to two Home Office ministers requesting them to address the “threat” the group poses after its activists targeted a factory in 2022, causing significant damage. The factory in question is owned by Teledyne, a US multinational that offers technology for military, aerospace, and other applications. Since 2022, Dannatt has served as a paid advisor to the company. His involvement in the wake of the factory attack in Wales led to allegations, heard later in court, that the peer was “seeking to influence” the criminal investigation into the Palestine Action activists. The police officer overseeing the investigation advised against a member of the House of Lords interfering in the case. Dannatt denies any wrongdoing, stating the allegations are “baseless.” Nonetheless, his actions emphasize the potential for companies to influence government policy by employing a member of the House of Lords as an advisor. Dannatt, who has been a Lord since 2011, faces an investigation over two sets of allegations that he broke parliamentary rules forbidding lobbying. The group Palestine Action was banned in July 2025, with supporters arguing the ban is unjust and draconian. Legal challenges against the ban are ongoing.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/05/lord-dannatt-urged-ministers-to-crack-down-on-palestine-action-at-request-of-us-firm