In October 2011, Keir Starmer, then the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), faced a request to arrest former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes during her visit to London. However, Starmer blocked the application just two days later, citing a Foreign Office ruling that granted Livni "special mission" status. A freedom of information request to obtain all communications related to the case, but the CPS has redacted crucial emails, claiming it would harm public affairs. Given the Labour party's support for Israel's actions in Gaza, it is important to examine Starmer's role in the Livni case.

Tzipi Livni served as Israel's foreign affairs minister from 2006 to 2009 and was part of the war cabinet during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza. The UN report accused Israel of serious violations of international law, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 Palestinians, including 333 children. Livni was specifically mentioned in the report for her comments supporting Israel's aggressive response to missile attacks. She had previously expressed opposition to international law. In 2009, an arrest warrant was issued for Livni for war crimes, but it was controversially dropped after apologies from British officials. This incident led to changes in UK legislation to protect Israeli officials from prosecution.

In June 2011, Starmer met with Moshe Lador, the state attorney of Israel, in London to discuss proposed changes to universal jurisdiction legislation. Three months later, the coalition government introduced modifications following an Israeli diplomatic campaign. The new legislation required the DPP's consent for arrest warrants and a higher evidential standard for proceeding with warrants.

Starmer's emails may contain valuable information, but most of the requested files have been redacted or withheld. Only one email from Starmer himself has been released. The current DPP, Stephen Parkinson, determined that releasing the emails would hinder the effective conduct of public affairs. The CPS spokesperson stated that the DPP made the decision not to give consent for the arrest warrant. Despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the UK government continues to grant diplomatic immunity to Israeli officials. On March 6th, the Foreign Office issued a "special mission" certificate to Benny Gantz, the Israeli war minister, who was visiting Britain for meetings with David Cameron.

CASE 2 Labour funding from Israel

Labour MPs have been sponsored by Israel lobbyists to visit Israel on more than 50 occasions, according to recent findings by Declassified. Remarkably, despite the ongoing Gaza genocide, the number of MPs supporting Labour Friends of Israel has actually increased. Out of Labour's 197 sitting MPs, 41 have accepted donations from Israel lobby groups, totalling over £280,000. The funders include the parliamentary group Labour Friends of Israel, pro-Israel individuals like Trevor Chinn, and even governmental bodies such as the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One Labour MP, Margaret Hodge, has continued to accept funds from the Israel lobby to travel to Israel, despite the ongoing crisis in Gaza. LFI, which describes itself as a Westminster-based lobby group working with the British Labour Party to promote the State of Israel, currently has 75 Labour MPs as parliamentary supporters or officers. It is worth noting that this number has actually increased since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

Labour's current Members of Parliament have received approximately £210,000 in donations from individual pro-Israel lobbyists. Eleven MPs have been financially supported by Trevor Chinn, a wealthy business magnate and long-time advocate for Israel. Eight of these MPs currently hold positions in Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet. Chinn's contributions to Labour MPs amount to £195,210, with a significant portion going towards Starmer's leadership campaign in 2020. Chinn has a history of funding organizations like LFI and Conservative Friends of Israel, as well as being involved in groups such as BICOM and the Jewish Leadership Council. The Guardian has previously described BICOM as the most active pro-Israel lobbying organization in Britain. Chinn's father, Rosser Chinn, was the president of the Jewish National Fund in Britain, an organization that has supported controversial Israeli settlements in Palestine. Other notable donors to Labour MPs include David Menton and Red Capital, a company owned by former LFI chairman Jonathan Mendelsohn. Additionally, several MPs have visited Israel with Labour Friends of Israel, with some receiving financial assistance from the Israeli state

Chris Bryant*,  Alex Davies-Jones,  Liam Byrne, Wayne David,  Barry Gardiner,  Lilian Greenwood* , Andrew Gwynne*, Fabian Hamilton, Margaret Hodge,  Sharon Hodgson*,  Dan Jarvis , Diana R. Johnson,  Kevan Jones*, Barbara Keeley*,  Peter Kyle , David Lammy,  Steve McCabe*,  Catherine McKinnell, Pat McFadden, Stephen Morgan*,  Taiwo Owatemi , John Spellar, Steve Reed, Rachel Reeves*,  Jonathan Reynolds* , Wes Streeting, Graham Stringer, Gareth Thomas, Emily Thornberry*, Derek Twigg*, Christian Wakeford*, Rosie Winterton*

Case 3 Expenses scandal at CPS

During his tenure as head of the CPS, Starmer's travel expenses amounted to £236,485, covering luxurious first or business class flights to various destinations across four continents. Notably, he spent £6,808 on a flight to Washington DC and £4,914 on a flight to Hong Kong. Additionally, within his first 21 months in the role, he charged £161,273 for a chauffeur-driven car, despite residing just four miles away from the CPS office in central London. This on-demand car cost taxpayers an average of £1,920 per week for nearly two years. Furthermore, while having access to the car, Starmer also billed the taxpayer an additional £330 for 13 taxi rides within London. However, following a media scandal in June 2010, Starmer ceased using the car.

Starmer's travel expenses as DPP were significant, with trips to Belfast costing around £450 each. He also took expensive flights to various international destinations, totalling £20,166 for six trips. Additionally, he made four trips to Washington DC, costing a total of £21,603. His successor, Alison Saunders, had lower travel expenses totalling £67,340 during her term. Starmer's pension benefits upon leaving the CPS in 2013 amounted to £336,000, averaging £67,200 per year.

Case 4  TRILATERAL COMMISSION A CIA AND ROCKERFELLER ORGANISATION IN WHICH STARMER WAS A MEMBER

Keir Starmer, while in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet, joined the Trilateral Commission, an international organization connected to US and UK intelligence. The Commission addresses global issues and keeps its meetings confidential. Starmer joined between March 2017 and October 2018 but ended his affiliation between April 2021 and June 2022. He was alongside former CIA directors and shared the stage with former heads of MI5 and GCHQ. Before becoming Labour Party leader, Starmer served as shadow Brexit secretary and advocated for a second EU referendum, which was criticized for Labour's poor performance in the 2019 election.

Schneider who was Corbyn's spokesman stated that Starmer failed to disclose his membership in the Trilateral Commission while in the shadow cabinet. If he had, actions would have been taken to prevent it, just like when he attempted to take an inappropriate job with Mischon de Reya while serving as shadow Brexit secretary. Schneider emphasized that the Trilateral Commission's focus on promoting corporate power contradicted Labour's goals of wealth and power redistribution. When questioned about his reaction to Starmer's undisclosed membership, Schneider commented that he was not surprised, as he believes dishonesty is a defining trait of Keir Starmer.

In the most recent membership records of the Trilateral Commission, Starmer is listed as one of only five former European members who have transitioned into public service. Among these notable individuals is the prime minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen.

On the American front, former members who are now serving in public roles include Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, and Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser. Additionally, Henry Kissinger, who previously held the position of secretary of state during President Nixon's administration, holds a lifelong position as a trustee within the organization.

Throughout its history, the Commission has consistently included representatives from the United States intelligence community as members. During Starmer's tenure as a member, he had the opportunity to collaborate with two former directors of the CIA: John Deutch, who served from 1995 to 1996, and David Petraeus, who held the position from 2011 to 2012.

Jami Miscik, who served as the CIA deputy director for intelligence from 2002 to 2005, also shared membership with Starmer during that time.

Furthermore, Starmer had the privilege of being associated with John Negroponte, who served as the director of US national intelligence under President George W. Bush, as well as two former chairmen of the US National Intelligence Council, Joseph Ny...Jnr. and Richard Cooper. 

Jeremy Corbyn was surveilled by the CIA in the 1980s, with documents released in 2017 after he became Labour Party leader. The files mentioned Corbyn's support for a trade union federation in El Salvador with ties to Marxist guerrillas, as well as his participation in a protest against the US-led war in Iraq in 2002.

After Corbyn’s election to leader of the Labour Party in 2015, US concern grew.  

In June 2019, then US secretary of state Mike Pompeo visited the UK and was recorded saying privately: “It could be that Mr Corbyn manages to run the gauntlet and get elected. It’s possible. You should know, we won’t wait for him to do those things to begin to push back. We will do our level best. It’s too risky and too important and too hard once it’s already happened.” Starmer was serving on the Trilateral Commission at the time. 

Starmer delivered a speech during the 41st European annual meeting of the Commission in London on Saturday, November 4, 2017. Sharing the panel with him were Michael Gove, the then Conservative minister for the environment, and Lord Maude, a long-standing Conservative peer associated with the Commission. The topic of their discussion revolved around the question, "What is Britain's role in a changing Europe?" As the Commission's meetings are strictly off the record, the content of their debate remains unknown. Furthermore, it remains uncertain whether Starmer was already a member of the Commission or if he was recruited during this event.

Documents reviewed  indicate that Eliza Manningham-Buller, the former head of MI5, led a discussion on "cyber security" later that day with Sir David Omand, the former director of GCHQ, the UK's largest intelligence agency. It was previously disclosed that the year following Starmer's protection of MI5 chief Sir Jonathan Evans from potential prosecution related to the agency's involvement in CIA torture, the senior public prosecutor attended Evans's farewell gathering, which was funded by MI5.

The Commission also has connections with various other British intelligence agencies. In 2018, Sir John Scarlett, the former head of MI6, addressed the Commission's plenary session in Singapore, as per documents obtained by Declassified.

Prominent British business figures, such as Vivienne Cox, who has served on the boards of BG Group, Rio Tinto, and the Department for International Development, have collaborated with Starmer.

Brian Gilvary, the former chief financial officer at BP, and Sir John Kingman, the chairman of Legal & General, are among the current members.

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