SCOTLAND'S largest weapons companies held more than 1000 closed-door meetings with the UK Government between 2012 and 2023.
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.With orders totalling €17.9bn in 2023, it is the 12th biggest arms firm in the world.
The firm makes systems for Paveway smart bombs, which have previously been used in Gaza by the Israeli military. 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.
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”. A UK Government spokesperson said: “Regardless of the sector, we engage frequently with a large number of UK industry representatives.”