Gaza shows Britain is an oligarchy: Let’s stop pretending it isn’t

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 9 February 2024 When it comes to UK foreign policy, our governance system is really not democratic. Britain is run like an oligarchy – and it’s vital we recognise the UK needs a democratic revolution. A government led by a prime minister who hasn’t been elected in a popular vote […]

Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending UK government

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 16 June 2023 Jonathan Swift, the High Court judge who has just rejected Julian Assange’s attempt to halt his extradition to the US, is the government’s former top lawyer and previously defended the Defence and Home Secretaries. Jonathan Swift, the High Court judge who has rejected Julian Assange’s appeal against […]

How UK media mislead us about Britain’s leading military ‘think tank’

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 15 June 2023 The British press has quoted the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) hundreds of times in the past two years without informing readers it is funded by the UK military, US government and arms corporations, and that it’s a bastion of establishment interests. RUSI has been cited in […]

How the UK media misinforms us about ‘counter-disinformation’ operations

by John McEvoy and Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 5 April 2023 Britain’s media routinely quote private groups countering Russian and other disinformation without saying they are funded by the UK government and directed by people linked to the UK or US foreign policy establishment. The UK government has poured over £25m into private “counter-disinformation” organisations since January […]

Why we refused to comply with the D-Notice committee

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 17 February 2022 A body run by the UK military has asked us to remove part of our story revealing British support for an African dictatorship. Here’s why we said no to its “formal advice” not to publish. Last week I received an email from a body called the DSMA committee asking Declassified to […]

‘CIA sidekick’ gives £2.6m to UK media groups

by Matt Kennard and Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 17 January 2022 A US government-funded agency that claims to promote democracy but which helps undermine governments independent of Washington has moved decisively into Britain’s media space since 2016. National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has funded groups such as Bellingcat, Index on Censorship, Article 19, Finance Uncovered, […]

Assange judge is 40 year ‘good friend’ of minister who orchestrated his arrest

By Matt Kennard and Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 2 December 2021 Julian Assange’s fate lies in the hands of an appeal judge who is a close friend of Sir Alan Duncan – the former foreign minister who called Assange a “miserable little worm” in parliament. Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett, the judge that will soon […]

Like billionaire-controlled media, The Guardian misinforms its readers on the UK’s role in world

By Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 26 April 2021 Millions of its readers believe the Guardian offers critical, independent reporting that is different to the right-wing, billionaire-controlled UK media. But its limited coverage of British foreign and security policies gives a misleading picture of what the UK does in the world. The paper is in reality […]

Sky News acts largely as a platform for the UK defence and foreign ministries, research finds

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 1 February 2021 Declassified UK’s analysis of the written outputs of three of Sky News’ principal foreign affairs journalists has found that the media outlet acts largely to amplify the views of the British Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office, while rarely offering critical, independent analysis. A study by Declassified, […]

The Ministry of Defence blacklisted Declassified – but won’t admit it

by Mark Curtis, Declassified UK, 11 December 2020 A UK government review into how the Ministry of Defence (MOD) handled relations with the organisation I edit, Declassified UK, concludes the MOD “did not have a policy” of blacklisting us, despite providing evidence that it did. It reveals a deep problem in UK governance – that […]