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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Henry Dyer

Revealed: UK Foreign Office staff pushed for Israel trip despite suspension of trade talks

Ian Austin beside the docks in Haifa
Ian Austin, centre with a tie, in the Israeli port city of Haifa on 26 May. Photograph: British embassy in Israel

The Foreign Office recommended that David Lammy endorse a trade mission to Israel, days after he suspended trade talks and rebuked the country’s government, internal documents reveal.

In an unusual move, officials asked for ministerial advice over Ian Austin’s visit to Israel in late May. Bureaucratic dysfunction meant the trip by the trade envoy went ahead without the support of ministers or advisers.

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