Regional Growth and Genocide: Who Are We?

An Open Letter to Cornwall Council

Dear Cornwall Council,

This letter concerns the government-appointed Chair of Cornwall Council’s Economic Forum, Lord John Hutton, a man strongly linked to Israel’s state-owned arms contractor Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd, as a director of its UK subsidiary Pearson Engineering. As has been widely reported Rafael, itself owned and overseen by Israel’s Ministry of Defence, acquired Pearson Engineering in 2022, shortly before Lord Hutton’s appointment there, as part of its “strategic expansion in the UK”.(1)

Last week we submitted the following public question to Council in the hope that you would address it at today’s Full Council Sitting:

“In light of the genocide enacted in Gaza and the International Criminal Court’s belated recognition of its criminality, will the Council demand that Lord Hutton immediately resign his directorship of the Israel-owned military supplier Pearson Engineering, as a precondition for his continued leadership of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Forum?”

Our question was rejected by the Council’s Questions Moderator, on the grounds that the ethical issue it raises might be found “offensive” by Lord Hutton (2).

We have contacted the Council’s Economic Forum directly regarding Lord Hutton’s appointment, who told us in reply of his great merits as a regional business leader, and as a valued advocate for Cornwall in Westminster (3). Indeed, we have no reason to doubt Lord Hutton’s many capabilities for his new role, just as we have no reason to doubt that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an effective political strategist, or that his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant possesses an astute tactical intelligence. The Forum’s reply to our inquiry simply evades the existence of the moral question to which it speaks.

For fifteen months war crimes of unimaginable monstrosity have unfolded in Gaza before the public gaze. However fanatically murderous they may be, responsibility for these crimes does not rest merely with the two individuals for whom arrest warrants have now been issued by the International Criminal Court, charging them with crimes against humanity. The incomprehensible suffering and death we have seen inflicted upon the people of Gaza over the past fifteen months has depended at all times upon a complex international network of economic, technical, material and, not least, diplomatic support. To our shame and dismay, the UK stands out as a leading player in this wider web of support.

We put it to you that by refusing to address this issue Council are thereby providing a tacit social licence for the genocide enacted upon the trapped civilian population of Gaza. We put it to you that in so doing Council are thus betraying their constituents, who surely deserve a more civilised and humane vision of Cornwall than one in which our shared commitment to a thriving regional economy requires us to quietly avert our gaze from a complicity in the mass-murder of at least 17,492 Palestinian children, who with women make up close to 70% of the 46,913 Palestinians — as counted on 20.1.25 (6) — murdered in Gaza by the IDF over the past fifteen months.

Writing to you as a ceasefire finally comes into effect we call once again upon our regional Council to reject Lord Hutton’s appointment as Chair of its Economic Forum, unless and until he first severs his personal connection with Israel’s genocidal Ministry of Defence.

After submitting this letter to you privately today, we are now sharing it publicly with the intention of gathering signatories; we will then re-submit our public question at the next Full Council Sitting on the 15th April. Please understand that the recently announced ceasefire only deepens our resolve to challenge Cornwall Council’s ongoing complicity in a UK-supported genocide that will define our generation.

Such complicity concerns the very character of who we are as citizens of Cornwall, and as human beings. As your constituents we cannot and will not accept it being casually brushed aside in the name of regional growth.

Respectfully,

Mat Osmond, TR11 5RW; Connie Chilcott, TR11 2BS; Oliver Baines OBE, TR2 4EH; Phil Green TR10 8AB; Alex Thornton TR10 2LS; Holly Astle TR11 2BS; Jaye Brighton TR11 4NP; Tom Scott TR11 3NJ; Catarina Fontoura TR11 5AF.

21.1.25

We’ll be submitting this letter to Cornwall Council with accrued signatures on Tuesday 1st April 2025, two weeks ahead of the next Full Council Sitting when we will re-submit our refused public question. Thankyou.

Notes

https://www.nti.org/education-center/facilities/ministry-of-defense/
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-notes/israels-rafael-buys-uk-defence-firm-pearson-engineering-in-strategic-expansion

https://www.pearson-eng.com/news/rafael-acquires-newcastle-based-pearson-engineering-as-part-of-its-strategic-expansion-in-the-united-kingdom/
https://www.pearson-eng.com/news/company-statement-israel-and-gaza/

We are aware of Pearson Engineering’s recent attempt (above) to disentangle their ownership by Rafael from any resulting complicity in Israel’s criminal actions in Gaza. We wholly reject Pearson’s statement on Israel\Gaza as a dishonest obfuscation of their inescapable connection to these actions through their 2022 acquisition by Israel’s state-owned arms company Rafael.

See also Declassified UK: the Labour Lord Hired by Israel

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VzfSrhNI44

· https://www.declassifieduk.org/13-british-lords-linked-to-israels-arms-trade/

3. Cornwall Council Public Questions email 17.1.25 (excerpt):

“The Monitoring Officer has rejected your question on two grounds:

– The personal interests of Lord Hutton are not a matter for which the Council has responsibility, and

– Notwithstanding the sentiment in the question, I consider it could be considered to be offensive to Lord Hutton.”

4. Cornwall Economic Forum email 9.1.25 (excerpt):

“Lord Hutton is respected across the political spectrum and fighting Cornwall’s corner is a fantastic asset for our business community. His experience as a Cabinet Minister for many years including the role of business secretary and his subsequent role of chairman of a wide range of public and private companies and trade associations all mean that he has a brilliant mix of experience, skills and connections which support Cornwall in our ambitions to create a thriving and vibrant economy.”

5. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker

6. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn5wel11pgdoe