Lord Robertson, a Labour peer, is lobbying for bigger defence spending for the second week running. The Guardian reported Robertson’s comments at a thinktank event, but did not disclose his decades-long links to the war lobby.
Robertson’s speech at Chatham House
Robertson spoke at a Chatham House event on 22 April. Chatham House is one of the UK’s top establishment thinktanks. The event meant to examine:
the future of UK–US relations in the era of Trump 2.0.
Robertson is an ex-NATO chief, Blair-era defence minister and co-author of the last Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The SDR sets the direction of British foreign policy. On 17 April, the Canary reported on Robertson and the other SDR co-authors attacking UK PM Keir Starmer over a lack of military spending. In particular, we focused on those critics known links to defence firms and consultancies.
The Guardian said of the Chatham House event:
Robertson emphasised that [President] Trump did not represent the full spectrum of American opinion, but he said the UK needed to accept that the president’s behaviour was also reflective of longer-term changes in US foreign policy and act accordingly.
The paper quoted Robertson as saying:
“It’s clear that our high level of military dependence on the US is no longer tenable” … and it was a “naive belief” that the White House would always be on hand to help the UK out in times of conflict. Such an approach had led to the “diminishment of our own capability” militarily, he added.
But you have to wait until paragraph eleven (!) to see what Robertson is actually angling for:
He said the UK “must rapidly pivot to becoming a more autonomous military actor”, working closely with European allies against Russia, and demonstrate progress to lifting defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 in line with a NATO target, while recognising that the US was becoming more transactional. [Emphasis added.]
At no point in the article are Robertson’s publicly available links to the war industry mentioned. Guess we’ll just do the Guardian‘s job for them then…
Hidden links to the arms trade
The Cohen Group defence consultancy website describes Robertson’s role with them as a senior counsellor. What’s more:
He joined The Cohen Group as a Senior Counselor in April 2004, advising and assisting our clients globally.
For the benefit of legacy media journalists, April 2004 is 8,028 days ago. That’s well over 20 years working for a heavyweight defence consultancy firm. That seems like a relevant detail here.
The Cohen Group even brag on their website about brokering big deals between a US war firm and an unnamed European country:
A leading US-based global aerospace and defense firm approached The Cohen Group (TCG) for assistance in competing for a multi-billion contract in Europe.
It is not clear if Robertson was involved in that deal – though clearly an ex-NATO chief would have been be useful to have around.
But there’s more…
Remunerated advisor for various private interests
Robertson’s registered interests as a peer indicate he has had “remunerated employment” with (been paid by) various other firms. This includes his role as a:
Senior Adviser on geo-political and geo-strategic issues to 5654 & Company (consultancy founded to help companies act to earn reputation) (suspended 16 July 2024).
The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists says 5654 & Co worked with arms firms Raytheon and Melrose PLC between January and March 2023.
The register also says Robertson has “shareholdings” with Weir Group PLC – an engineering firm with major global mining interests in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Robertson is also reportedly an advisor to British Petroleum (BP).
And credit where it is due to Labour Right Watch for their spot. Turns out the Financial Times also omitted some important details:
Lord Robertson is also a paid adviser to UK lobby firm 5654 & Co who just last year represented arms firm Melrose, and in 2022-23 represented Raytheon.https://t.co/hRO903efUb pic.twitter.com/Ggz1BGPdkf
— Labour Right Watch (@LabourRightWtch) April 15, 2026
Correcting legacy media
Far too much of our work is correcting the legacy media for their misreporting and/or omissions.
Robertson has repeatedly been framed as an experienced voice raising expert concerns about Britain’s security. Perhaps concern is what drives him… But the fact he has been entangled with defence interests for decades has to be reported too.
Any journalist worth their salt owes their readers that, at the very least, so those readers can make informed judgements about where their vote goes, what they protest and what they endorse.
Featured image via Chatham House
By Joe Glenton
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