Internal documents reveal that Foreign Office officials recommended that then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy endorse a trade mission to Israel, just days after he suspended trade talks and rebuked the Israeli government. The trip by trade envoy Lord Ian Austin went ahead without ministerial support or approval, highlighting bureaucratic dysfunction within the department.
Emails show that officials prepared a submission for Lammy and then-Minister of State for the Middle East Lord Falconer, arguing that cancelling the visit would send a bad signal to the Israeli business community, which was agitated by the suspension of free trade agreement talks on 20 May. However, sources confirmed that Lammy and Falconer did not receive the submission or endorse the trip, and were unhappy about the situation.
During the late May visit, Austin met with senior Israeli trade officials on two occasions, despite the Foreign Office initially stating he would not meet any Israeli government representatives. Photographs show him with Lena Zeiger, an Israeli official responsible for trade policy, and at a reception where Education Minister Yoav Kisch spoke. Austin also met with executives from Rafael, an Israeli arms company that develops Spike missiles, which have been linked to the deaths of three British aid workers in Gaza.
The documents, released under a freedom of information request, include briefing materials that prepared Austin for discussions on export licences and trade talks. The British embassy publicised parts of the visit, leading to criticism of incoherence in UK foreign policy. The revelations raise fresh questions about the government's relationship with Israel and its defence industry.
