Newly disclosed documents reveal a significant diplomatic confrontation between the United Kingdom and the International Criminal Court in April 2024. According to emails obtained through Freedom of Information requests, the UK Foreign Office’s top legal adviser, Sally Langrish, initially recommended that then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron meet with ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. Langrish emphasized that such a meeting would demonstrate Britain’s “strong support for the Court and for Karim Khan as its prosecutor.”
The recommended meeting was scheduled for April 15, 2024, in London. However, in a notable deviation from this advice, Cameron did not attend the meeting. Instead, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk met with Khan, during which the prosecutor revealed his intention to pursue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.
The situation escalated dramatically on April 23, 2024, when Cameron personally contacted Khan while the prosecutor was on an official visit to Venezuela. Multiple sources, including former staff from Khan’s office who have seen meeting minutes, confirm that Cameron employed strong rhetoric during this conversation. The foreign secretary characterized the potential arrest warrants as “like dropping a hydrogen bomb” and warned of their “profound implications” for British politics and his Conservative Party.
Most significantly, Cameron reportedly threatened that if the ICC proceeded with warrants against Israeli leaders, the UK would “defund the court and withdraw from the Rome Statute”—the ICC’s founding charter. This stance directly contradicted the Foreign Office’s earlier position of strong support for the international judicial body.
The Foreign Office has consistently declined to comment on these allegations. A source close to Cameron acknowledged the call occurred but characterized it as “robust” rather than threatening, suggesting Cameron was merely highlighting potential political pressures within his party. The incident has prompted calls for official investigation, with former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf demanding accountability and transparency regarding the UK’s position on international justice institutions.