Newly released documents show Tony Blair lobbied Libya for arms deal

Recently declassified documents from the UK Cabinet Office have shed light on former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s efforts to lobby for an arms deal with Libya on behalf of BAE Systems, one of Europe’s largest defense contractors based in London. The revelations were reported by the Financial Times.

The documents include a 2004 letter from the chair of BAE Systems to Blair’s then-chief of staff, requesting that the Prime Minister initiate discussions with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The proposed dialogue focused on drafting a memorandum of understanding involving "civil and military projects for the future."

Blair reportedly conveyed this request to Gaddafi. The outreach occurred just a year after Gaddafi took responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, which killed 270 people.

At the time of Blair’s lobbying, the European Union’s arms embargo against Libya, imposed in 1986 over allegations of supporting terrorist groups, was still in place. However, the embargo was lifted in October 2004, shortly after Blair met Gaddafi in Libya.

Blair’s involvement in lobbying for a UK defense company while the embargo was active underscores his controversial dealings with Gaddafi. The Libyan leader, who would later seek UK assistance for evacuation during the 2011 civil war, was later captured and killed by rebel forces.