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The British government has reportedly halted the sharing of intelligence on Caribbean drug smuggling with the United States. This move is seen as an effort to distance itself from recent U.S. airstrikes targeting cartel boats, favoring a human rights perspective over security interests.
President Donald Trump’s approach of using “kinetic strikes” to prevent the influx of drugs into the U.S. has apparently been dismissed by the British administration, which is led by human rights lawyers. The UK seems to be choosing compliance with United Nations regulations over maintaining its close alliance with the U.S.
According to CNN, intelligence collected from British overseas territories and UK military resources in the Caribbean is no longer being shared with Washington. Although the British government has neither confirmed nor denied these reports, citing the need for confidentiality in intelligence operations, an internal source suggests that the UK ceased sharing intelligence a month ago due to the U.S.’s actions against drug smuggler boats, driven by concerns over human rights.
Suella Braverman, a former UK Home Secretary and Attorney General who aligns with the right wing of the Conservative Party, criticized the decision. She warned that it could further strain Britain’s relationship with the United States, which remains crucial for the UK’s security under NATO.
Braverman declared, “the special relationship is dead,” attributing the blame to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his associates. She accused them of living in a “fantasy world” and being opposed to strong, decisive leadership.
Braverman said “the special relationship is dead”, and laying this at the foot of the Prime Minister, she continued: “It was killed by Keir Starmer and his lefty lawyer mates who live in a fantasy world detached from the rest of us. They hate strong leadership and decisiveness.”
Head of policy for Farage’s Reform UK, Zia Yusuf, also spoke out against the decision, pointing to the hypocrisy of the Starmer government putting Britons at risk by having open borders for “violent criminals and rapists” while simultaneously displaying outsized concern for the human rights of drug traffickers.
Prime Minister Starmer, who was a high-flying human rights lawyer before entering politics, brought with him into power his long-time colleague Richard Hermer — another human rights lawyer — to become attorney general. The government’s siding with U.N. human rights lawyer Volker Türk, who declared the Trump push to end drug smuggling with military means “unacceptable” last month, is likely down to an intervention by Hermer, reports The Daily Telegraph.
This is one of several instances where Britain’s left-wing government has undermined its own security and defence posture, with Hermer allegedly having a hand in developments. Just yesterday, nine four-star British generals signed an unprecedented joint letter warning the government’s obsession with human rights law is forcing soldiers to consider “not only the enemy in front but the lawyer behind”.
The recently retired group of top military men stated an exodus of special forces soldiers is underway because troops no longer have faith in the government to protect them from lawsuits after coming home. They warned that legal activist risks “weaking the moral foundations and operational effectiveness of the forces on which this nation depends” and that such “lawfare is a direct threat to national security.”
Attorney General Hermer was also a key mover in the decision by the UK government to give away a key strategic base in the Indian Ocean at enormous cost to taxpayers, it is stated.
British involvement in counter-narcotics in the Caribbean has been considerable one and goes far beyond intelligence. The Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary has had a presence in the region for centuries, and the counter-narcotics mission goes at least as far back as the 1980s, with British ships and helicopters intercepting drug boats. Beyond that role, British warships in the Caribbean also provide a fly-the-flag or guardship role for British-owned islands, and disaster relief for the annual hurricane season.
