Nadine Osman
The Government is facing mounting pressure to investigate how an alleged illegal shipment of UK-made military components bound for Israel was allowed to leave Britain before being seized by Belgian authorities.
More than 60 MPs and peers have demanded an urgent inquiry into the export after officials in Belgium confiscated the consignment at Liège Airport, where it was allegedly found to be travelling without the transit licence required under Belgian law.
In a cross-party letter sent on June 15, parliamentarians called on the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to explain how the shipment was exported from the UK and whether companies involved complied with Britain’s export control regime.
The letter, organised by Labour MP Steve Witherden and signed by MPs including Foreign Affairs Select Committee member Abtisam Mohamed, urges Business Secretary Peter Kyle to investigate the circumstances surrounding the transfer.
Belgian authorities have since launched a criminal investigation into the shipment after journalists and campaign groups alerted the Walloon regional government to what they described as a suspicious consignment of UK-made military equipment destined for Israel.
Officials in Wallonia subsequently seized the cargo after concluding it lacked the necessary transit authorisation. Under the region’s arms export policy, authorities say they would not have approved a licence for military equipment travelling to Israel.
According to the Walloon government, the shipment contained components falling under UK export control classifications covering military aircraft and fire-control systems.
The parts are believed to have been manufactured by US aerospace company Moog at its Wolverhampton facility, which produces aircraft components, including parts used in trainer aircraft operated by the Israeli Air Force.
The seizure has intensified scrutiny of the UK’s export licensing system and raised questions over whether military goods authorised for export from Britain are subject to sufficient oversight once routed through third countries.
The case has also renewed attention on separate criminal proceedings involving four Palestine activists accused of causing damage during a protest at Moog’s Wolverhampton factory.
Prosecutors alleged the group targeted the site in an attempt to disrupt the supply of aircraft components to Israel. However, a jury at Birmingham Crown Court failed to reach verdicts, leaving the case unresolved.
In their letter, MPs also called for export compliance checks on all companies involved in the shipment, including manufacturers and logistics firms.
They further asked ministers whether logistics companies Challenge Airlines and UPS could face exclusion from future public procurement contracts if any breaches of export control regulations are ultimately established.
The latest intervention follows an earlier letter sent in May by Amnesty International and a coalition of campaign organisations, including Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), to the chair of Parliament’s Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls.
The organisations argued that the Belgian seizure raises wider concerns about the operation of the UK’s export licensing regime, particularly the use of Open Individual Export Licences for military exports to politically sensitive destinations.
Sam Perlo-Freeman, Research Coordinator at Campaign Against Arms Trade, said the case raises questions about whether the UK’s export control system adequately monitors military goods after they leave the country.
He said ministers should explain whether existing licensing arrangements are sufficient when UK-authorised military equipment passes through countries whose own export control laws may prohibit onward transit and called for greater transparency over how such cases are monitored and investigated.
The Department for Business and Trade has not publicly responded to the parliamentary letter.
