MAJOR weapons companies held more than 1000 closed-door meetings with the UK Government between 2012 and 2023, the Sunday National can reveal.
BAE Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Thales – arms firms that collectively employ thousands of people across Scotland – were given special access in Westminster a total of 1176 times, according to data from Transparency International.
The latest lobbying data available was from December 29, 2023 and more recent meetings – amid Israel’s war on Gaza and calls for the UK Government to halt arms sales – may have not yet been logged.
The five firms had at least 47 meetings with the Prime Minister’s office, with BAE Systems – the UK’s largest arms firm – also a member of Rishi Sunak’s exclusive business council in 2023, which advises him on ways to “grow the UK economy”.
READ MORE: Which countries buy the most UK arms? See the full list
BAE Systems - which employs 3900 Scots in sites across the country - was given special access to Westminster a total of 577 times. It is by far the most heavily funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), with £3.95 billion for the UK’s new nuclear-powered attack submarine programme announced last year.
The firm has come under particular fire of late for producing various components of weapons which are sold to Israel, including the MK 38 Mod 2 machine gun system and the F-35 combat aircraft which has reportedly been used in the nation’s assault on Gaza.
Italian aerospace and defence player Leonardo lobbied the UK Government 138 times.
With orders totalling €17.9bn (or £15.4bn) in 2023, it is the 12th biggest arms firm in the world.
The firm employs roughly 2000 employees in Edinburgh – many of whom work at a factory on the city’s Ferry Road where Leonardo makes laser targeting systems that are then fitted to the Israeli military’s F-35 fighter jets.
US arms multinational Raytheon Technologies – which employs roughly 600 Scots at a factory in Glenrothes – lobbied Westminster 90 times.
The firm makes systems for Paveway smart bombs, which have previously been used in Gaza by the Israeli military.
Thales, meanwhile, has held a significant presence in Scotland for over 100 years and employs over 750 people across two main sites in Glasgow and Rosyth. The French weapons firm has lobbied Westminster 234 times.
Lockheed Martin – the world’s largest arms firm – also maintains a strong presence in Scotland and held 137 secret meetings with the UK Government.
Of note, Rolls-Royce – still one of the UK and the world’s largest arms companies but not included in the initial list given it makes up one-third of its total business – has lobbied the UK Government 581 times in the same period.
The firm is also on the Prime Minister’s business council for 2024 and recently announced its submarines division would open a new office in Glasgow funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Critics have expressed concern over the amount of access arms firms are getting in Westminster.
"When arms dealers are meeting with ministers and senior civil servants, there's only one thing on their minds. Profits” said Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman.
“They are trying to secure even more dirty deals and shift even more of their deadly wares.”
She added that these arms firms are “fuelling war and pouring weapons into conflict zones”.
“They are exporting violence,” Chapman (below) said.
“They are arming, supporting and enabling some of the world's worst regimes that are inflicting terrible atrocities on people.
"The data uncovered by the Sunday National exposes the level of access and political support that they enjoy. It is a sign of how close-knit, compromising and immoral the relationship between Westminster and the war lobby really is."
Ara Marcen Naval, Transparency International’s defence and security head of advocacy said lobbying is an important part of democracy but “problems can arise when a small number of players from a sector wield considerable influence”.
"With more than 1000 interactions with policymakers since 2012, there's a risk that important decisions on national defence are skewed towards industry profits at the expense of national and global security needs,” she added.
"The situation is further complicated by the secrecy that shrouds the defence sector and the fact the UK Government is a major customer of some of these firms and also the main regulator."
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Regardless of the sector, we engage frequently with a large number of UK industry representatives.”
A BAE Systems spokesperson, said: “As the UK’s largest defence company - employing more than 45,000 people in the UK with thousands more in the supply chain - we regularly engage with UK Government representatives to increase awareness and understanding of the significant contribution our industry makes to the UK’s security and prosperity.”
Lockheed Martin, Leonardo, Thales and Raytheon didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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