When the government of Tony Blair pulled the plug last December on a two-year-long probe into claims BAE Systems paid kickbacks to members of the Saudi royal family from a £40bn arms deal, British officials were to be found at a United Nations conference in Amman, delivering high-minded sermons on the evils of corruption.
Barely three months on, however, Britain’s European partners have launched high-profile prosecutions against top companies. In the US, the Department of Justice is adopting the role of world policeman against the bribery of foreign officials. Continental Europeans and Americans are also measuring Britain’s nugatory record in pursuing corruption against its condescending rhetoric – and smelling hypocrisy.
The BAE-Saudi decision is in a class of its own. The government sought to justify it on national security grounds, in response to a purported threat from a faction of the royal family to withdraw intelligence co-operation. Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, said the UK had “to balance the need to maintain the rule of law against the wider public interest”. Coming from Britain’s chief law officer, that is a truly breathtaking remark.
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