Thread by @eyes_lilly

1/X #thread #Freeports

Freeports are a considerable national security threat.

Of all the threats they pose, it is most astounding that this particular threat has seemingly *cough cough* escaped the selective attention of the wider British media...
medium.com/@cormack.lawso…

While the press just about managed to mumble something about "Freeports" swallowing up swathes of National Parks, they failed to mention many have a concerning array of military assets in their boundaries & will likely be looking to leverage them to maximise their influence.

The Humber “Freeport” contains several RAF facilities, including its Air & Space Warfare Centre. The Solent “Freeport” captures HMNB Portsmouth. While the PASD Freeport encompasses Britain’s (& Western Europe’s) largest naval base, HMNB Devonport, a vital nuclear base.

Relinquishing oversight of strategically important military assets, especially HMNB Devonport, is a significant national security threat.

What happens when a Mayoral CCA & the PASD Freeport, whose operators are responsible for site security, receive devolved legislative powers?

What happens if a Mayoral CCA / “Freeport” becomes corrupted by proxies of a foreign state & votes for hiring mercenaries like the Wagner Group or Erik Prince’s Frontier Services Group to secure their site? Such extreme examples must be considered with such extreme powers.

Another huge threat is that with many defence companies based in Freeports with vital military assets & the likely influx of private security contractors linked to foreign states, they'll become a potential flashpoint
The perfect cauldron to cook up an accidental war on UK shores

Several defence contractors, like Babcock, provide key services for the MoD at Devonport.
Babcock has a significant presence in the region & their backing of the project is crucial, owing to the many plots of land they own in the boundary & their cosy relationship with the MoD.

Babcock are set to be the customs site operator at the temporary Burrington Way customs site in Plymouth, have pledged investing £6.5 million to develop the South Yard customs site & redevelop 2 key buildings ‘behind the wire’ of MoD land to expand their manufacturing capacity...

The Sherford customs site will also be a bespoke Babcock operation, building a logistics hub outside the customs site boundary “providing integrated warehousing, storage and engineering space for a single defence contractor, Babcock.”

Their huge presence & control of the customs sites within the boundary, along with one of their former senior managers, Mark Shayer, now serving on the PASD Freeport Board & as a Plymouth City Councillor, gives Babcock incredible influence over the PASD Freeport & Devonshire CCA.

Presuming Gove uses his new powers to make provisions for appointing Babcock representatives as associate members of a Devonshire CCA with beneficially weighted voting rights...

Shayer will have a crucial role in the potential outcome of the vote. He will be far from alone in his conflict of interest, and as such, thousands of officials’ personal and professional connections should be receiving maximum attention from their local press.

Tomorrow's thread will explore an even more problematic aspect in all of this & yet another facet that has so far received no media scrutiny.
medium.com/@cormack.lawso…