By Jack Parbrook
Signal Failure: Trump Administration Leaks Intelligence to Journalist
US Vice-President JD Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz were amongst the 18 members of the ‘Houthi PC small group’ chat on Signal, a messaging app. They were discussing a planned attack on Houthis in Yemen. Unfortunately, editor of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg had accidentally been added to the chat.
After the attack took place on the 15th of March, Goldberg published an article with the details. The Trump administration were quick to attempt to defend themselves. No “war plans” or other classified information had been shared claimed the White House. “Those are some really shitty war plans” asserted Hegseth, mocking the supposed lack of detail. “No war plans” reiterated Waltz. Nevertheless, the texts’ abundant information on plans that were yet to be executed when received by Goldberg, including the time of the attacks, the type of aircraft and missiles involved, and some information on one of the targets makes Trump’s allies points easy to dispute. US intelligence guidance from 2016 suggests that information that would give prior notice of an attack by the US or one its allies should be top secret and ‘NOFORN’ (i.e., not for foreign eyes). It is hard to see how lines such as “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)” and “1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)” do not fall afoul of these guidelines. Whether it was Waltz or one of his staffers who added Goldberg to the chat and whether anyone will be punished for this indiscretion remains to be seen.
A Cruel Spring for Labour: The Chancellor’s Spring Statement
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves made her spring statement on the 26th of March. With taxes as a percentage of GDP already forecast to reach their highest levels in decades, lower economic growth than hoped or planned for, and higher government borrowing costs than anticipated, Reeves faced difficult choices. No changes to the UK’s tax system were announced, but state expenditures are being cut, accompanied by reform in some areas, and an increase in defence spending.
Amongst the most controversial of the government’s recent policies are the changes the welfare system. Some universal credit rates are being frozen, and the criteria to receive personal independence payments (Pips) are being tightened. The Prime Minister claimed that the savings would amount to five billion pounds a year; a government impact assessment estimated that the cuts would put 250,000 people into relative poverty.
The government has also committed to increasing defence spending to 2.7% of GDP by 2027. Part of this money will be spent on equipping British warships with advanced laser weaponry, with, in a move that is hoped to boost British industry, 10% of Ministry of Defence spending to go towards novel technologies.
Part of the government’s broader economic strategy is planning reform. Labour hope to spur economic growth and make more homes available by loosening rules that make it costly and time-consuming to develop land in Britain. They have introduced a bill aimed at addressing this issue, but some feel it is too meek.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own, and may not reflect the opinions of the St Andrews Economist
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
