| Told you he'd cave. |
The decision to scrap the two-year corruption inquiry followed reports that Saudi Arabia had warned Britain it might cancel an order for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from BAE Systems BA.L over the probe into past dealings involving Saudi officials and people working on behalf of BAE.
“If we had allowed this to go forward, we would have done immense damage to the interests of this country,” Blair told reporters in Brussels where he was attending an EU summit. “Our relationship with Saudi Arabia is vitally important for our country in terms of counter-terrorism, in terms of the broader Middle East, in terms of helping in respect of Israel-Palestine, and that strategic interest comes first.”
The Serious Fraud Office said in a statement it had decided to drop the inquiry after receiving “representations” concerning the need to safeguard national and international security. Blair said those arguments were paramount, quite apart from the billions of pounds and thousands of highly skilled British jobs at stake in the deal.
But the opposition Liberal Democrats accused the government of caving in to “blackmail” by Saudi Arabia.
| That's about right. |