On the 20th January, Cardiff Palestine Support Campaign hosted Peter Oborne to discuss his new book, Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza. Oborne, former chief political commentator for The Daily Telegraph, released this exposé on the 30th September 2025. Praised by Jeremy Corbyn as ‘a masterclass in truth-telling’ Complicit examines the British government’s response to the events from 7th October 2023, alongside misreporting and pro-Israeli bias in the media and branding of pro-Palestinian protestors as ‘extremists’.
This book concludes with a brutal condemnation of politicians and media figures who Oborne argues are accomplices in the destruction of Gaza.
The event was hosted by Bethan Sayed, current co-chair of the Cardiff Palestine Solidarity Campaign and former Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd representing South Wales West. Oborne attributed his inspiration for the book to a hostel stay in Nablus, anger at Rishi Sunak’s ‘green light to Israel,’ and a desire to expose the workings of Western imperialism.
Reflecting on his visit to the Senedd earlier that day, Oborne described it as ‘a reminder that there is a decent world that we belong to’ as well as celebrating that ‘Wales can set the world order.’ He also criticised US involvement in Gaza, stating that ‘Trump knows he can do what he wants with no recognition to international law,’ a comment met with several nods of agreement across the audience at the Temple of Peace.
Oborne discussed the section of his book titled ‘The Pro-Israel Lobby in Britain’, which investigates the influence of the Conservative Friends of Israel and the marginalisation of Palestinian voices. Oborne stated that ‘there is no question that the Labour Friends of Israel and the Conservative Friends of Israel at Westminster are very powerful forces. My own view is not that they shouldn’t exist [...] but they should ban all donations into British politics because they are all bribes.’
The former journalist not only focused on matters examined in Complicit, but he commented broadly on the current British government. He described Starmer as ‘an inept Prime Minister’ who missed a key opportunity after replacing the ‘useless, unpatriotic, awful Tory government.’
Following the question-and-answer portion, Gair Rhydd representatives Mael Le Paih, James Roberts, and Helen Turnbull interviewed Oborne. He rejected the claims of a ceasefire in Gaza, describing it as a ‘fantasy’ as well as regarding Trump’s Board of Peace as ‘gangster politics,’ highlighting that this board includes no Palestinians.
He argued that the process of Western governments profiting from what’s regarded as a genocide is ‘cynical’ and ‘disgusting.’ When asked about the professional consequences of publishing Complicit, Oborne recognised that he has been ostracised by much of the British media: ‘I’ve been blanked, which is pathetic.’
‘What’s more dangerous in the media: lying or omitting facts?’ Oborne responded that omission is highly dangerous, as suppressing information allows false narratives to flourish. He cited the lack of coverage of Israeli-run torture camps and the BBC’s ‘deliberate’ omission of historian Avi Shlaim. Oborne described Shlaim, Jewish and previously served in the IDF, as ‘the most distinguished historian on modern Israel, yet he is excluded because he criticises Israel. That’s a disgrace.’
Throughout Oborne’s talk, he celebrated the pro-Palestinian protestors as ‘British heroes.’ Oborne also expressed concerns about attitudes to student protesting saying ‘we should welcome young people taking an active interest in politics.’ He stated how horrified he was to hear that there is an authoritarian attitude with regards to student protestors ‘in a time where we claim to celebrate free speech and a freedom to protest. This fits into this troubling pattern of authoritarianism that we are seeing in the current government against protestors nationally.’