The Price of a Tech Deal: UK Signals Willingness to Overlook Gaza, Rule of Law

The price of securing a landmark technology deal with the United States appears to be a willingness to overlook deep disagreements on key issues like Gaza and the international rule of law. The UK Ambassador, Peter Mandelson, made his ambitious pitch for an AI alliance while completely sidestepping these major points of friction with the Trump administration.
In a speech that praised President Trump’s decisiveness, there was no room for the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where the US and UK positions have often diverged. Similarly, concerns about Trump’s approach to international institutions and legal norms were absent from an address that focused almost exclusively on the mutual benefits of a tech partnership.
This transactional approach suggests that, for the UK government, the strategic imperative of competing with China now outweighs its traditional foreign policy stances on human rights and international law. The proposal implies a hierarchy of interests, with technological and economic security placed firmly at the top.
Critics will view this as a dangerous concession, arguing that such an alliance would be built on a weak foundation if it requires abandoning core principles. However, Mandelson’s calculation is that the long-term danger of falling behind China is a more immediate and tangible threat, justifying a pragmatic and highly focused diplomatic strategy.