Britain’s most senior military officers attended a luxury Alpine sports retreat alongside more than 60 defence executives and lobbyists, raising concerns about conflicts of interest as the UK embarks on a defence spending surge.
Attendees at the week-long event in the French Alps resort of Méribel in February included head of the British military Sir Rich Knighton and Lieutenant General David Eastman, deputy chief of the British Army, according to a document obtained by the Financial Times.
Lieutenant General Simon Hamilton, interim chief executive of Defence Equipment & Support, the agency responsible for procuring and providing MoD equipment and supplies, also attended.
The chief executives of AirTanker, Balfour Beatty, BMT, Endace and 3DOT were all present, as well as senior executives and lobbyists at companies ranging from Airbus, Anduril and Palantir to Bain & Co and PwC.
The event came ahead of a UK pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, spurred by President Donald Trump’s demand for Nato members to carry more of the alliance’s financial burden.
The UK has committed to spending 5 per cent of GDP on national security by 2035, from which many of the companies at the Méribel event will hope to benefit.
The top brass and executives were guests at the Inter Service Snow Sports Championships, a long-running annual competition between the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.The vast majority stayed in the resort’s Hôtel L’Eterlou and Hôtel La Chaudanne.
The championship is organised by the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association (UKAFWSA), a charity fully funded by the private sector that has received almost £1.5mn in donations since 2022.
Knighton is one of 14 UKAFWSA committee members, alongside chair of BAE Systems Cressida Hogg. He was head of the Royal Air Force at the time of the event, which he attended with his wife, but in June he became chief of the defence staff, the head of the British military.
Lieutenant General Jez Bennett, deputy commander of Nato Land Command, and two major generals also attended.
One veteran attendee of the Méribel event denied it was focused on industry lobbying, arguing that it helped build relationships between companies and the UK military “so that the right decisions can be taken”.
“It’s not just pure commercial interest but it’s the national interest,” they added.
The charity’s website promises sponsors access to “VIP and sponsor functions” and its top-level donors “hosted intros” at all events, including in Méribel and a cocktail party at London’s In & Out club for naval and military officers.
The event raises further concerns about the revolving door between the public and private sectors, with some corporate attendees having previously held senior MoD positions.
David Arthurton, then air vice marshal and MoD director of strategy and military digitisation,attended with his wife. In August, Arthurton quit to join US drone manufacturer Anduril as its managing director for combat air, UK & Europe, having regularly attended the Ministry of Defence AI ethics advisory panel and taken hospitality from the company in 2024.
The senior officers, including Knighton, were not required to declare their attendance at the event under the current transparency rules, according to the MoD.
Air Vice-Marshal Tom Burke did, however, list two meetings for “pizza” with “Skiing Interservices Sponsor[s]”, according to the MoD’s transparency register, but did not specify which companies.
Rose Whiffen, senior research officer at Transparency International UK, said the Méribel event raised “serious questions about whose interests are really being served when policy and spending decisions are made”.
“Too often, interactions between companies and officials happen behind closed doors and at private retreats — away from scrutiny,” she added.
Kata Escott, managing director of Airbus Defence and Space UK, attended the event alongside six staff. Escott was formerly MoD strategy director and Cabinet Office national security secretariat director.
In a post on UKAFWSA’s website, she wrote that its events were an “invaluable annual opportunity to rekindle old friendships [and] forge new relationships . . . in convivial surroundings”.
She added: “They are also a great opportunity for our Armed Forces to develop closer links with industry.”
One of the two staff sent by US data intelligence group Palantir was Polly Scully, UK defence lead, who worked as MoD strategy director until November 2022. In September, Palantir and the MoD signed a “strategic partnership”, announced during Trump’s state visit to the UK.
Francis Tusa, editor of the Defence Analysis newsletter, said: “Industry and the military have to work together. Defence firms will legitimately hire former service personnel. But there needs to be better policing.”
Tusa added that the armed forces should find ways to be more transparent. “Do you need something to tell you that it just looks suspicious?”
An MOD spokesperson said: “Sponsorship of the Inter Services Snow Sports Championships is arranged by a registered charity, and individuals are not required to declare their attendance.”
Airbus, Anduril, BAE, Balfour Beatty, BMT, Endace and PwC declined to comment. UKAFWSA, AirTanker, and 3DOT did not respond to requests for comment. Palantir did not comment.