London, United Kingdom | September 5, 2025
Mark Smith, a British diplomat who resigned from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in August 2024 over the UK’s refusal to halt arms sales to Israel, has alleged that civil servants who question the government’s stance on Gaza are routinely silenced by senior officials.
Smith said his internal attempts to raise concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza were met with pro-forma responses and that legal reports were edited under pressure to downplay Israeli actions. He has described the practice as a systemic effort to suppress dissent within the diplomatic service.
Government records confirm that the Labour government suspended about 30 export licences to Israel on September 2, 2024, following an internal review, but hundreds of licences remain active. Ministers maintain that export controls are robust and legally guided, rejecting claims of widespread suppression.
Smith’s allegations, published in interviews and opinion pieces, are supported by some whistleblower accounts reported by investigative outlets, but there is no independent, system-wide proof that dissent across the Foreign Office is routinely silenced.
