UK defence secretary Wes Streeting calls Israel a rogue state as donation links emerge

Wes Streeting was appointed UK defence secretary by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, moving from his previous role as health secretary. Soon after taking office, he reiterated his view that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, describing the country as a “rogue state” and calling for sanctions.

Investigations have revealed that Streeting has accepted more than £50,000 in donations from individuals and firms linked to the Israeli defence industry and the US data‑analytics company Palantir. The contributions include £20,000 from Daniel Luhde‑Thompson of Quadrature Capital – a hedge fund that holds substantial stakes in arms manufacturers supplying Israel – and £31,750 from Trevor Chinn, a senior advisor at CVC Capital Partners whose firm owns export licences for Israeli weapons. Critics note that Streeting previously received over £200,000 from donors tied to private‑healthcare providers and had defended the use of Palantir technology in the NHS.