Activists brave storm in call to axe US spy base

Extreme weather did not dampen the spirits of those out in force yesterday demanding the closure of RAF Menwith Hill

Britain / 29 October 2026 Farage says Reform UK members can support Tommy Robinson after harassment conviction 29 October 2026 Justice System / 29 October 2026 Russel Brand mouths words to wife during character statement 29 October 2026 Workers’ Rights / 29 October 2026 ‘No further delay’ on 50% thresholds as new union powers come into force 29 October 2026 Big Tech / 29 October 2026 Social media age checks effective but not foolproof, Ofcom warns 29 October 2026 Healthcare / 29 October 2026 Thousands of patients unable to access GPs online after collapse of tech firm 29 October 2026 Britain / 29 October 2026 Poundland on the brink of collapse with 12,000 jobs at risk 29 October 2026 ANTI-WAR campaigners braved Storm Boels’s heavy rain and winds to gather outside a US spy base in Yorkshire over the weekend and demand its closure.

RAF Menwith Hill is “one of the most strategically significant US overseas bases and is at the heart of making the world more dangerous,” according to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Protesters marched around the perimeter of the base on Saturday to reach the main gates, where they stuck inflatable golf balls as part of a protest stunt. 

The golf balls represented the base’s radomes, which shield giant radars, CND said.

These radars are used by US military personnel to gather intelligence from across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 

The base can intercept communications from foreign satellites and monitor wireless communications on the ground such as mobile phones and wi-fi traffic.

Campaigners say the base has been used to assist with illegal US military operations on Iran. 

Operatives have also supplied the US intelligence services with information, some of which will be used to help the Israeli military target their attacks in Gaza.

RAF Menwith Hill is also part of the US National Missile Defence System, which US President Donald Trump has called the “Golden Dome.”

It carries out ballistic missile detection, tracking and targeting, intended to give the US first-strike nuclear capabilities, allowing a strike without fear of retaliation. 

This is driving a new nuclear arms race and increasing the risk of nuclear weapons being used in war, campaigners warn.

CND general secretary Sophie Bolt said the protest came at “an absolutely critical time,” adding: “The threats of nuclear weapons being used in war has never been higher. 

“The use of RAF Menwith Hill to help the Trump administration achieve nuclear pre-eminence is a very dangerous development, which is driving a new nuclear arms race.

“This base has nothing to do with keeping us safe. By allowing the US and Israel to benefit from intelligence gathered at this spy base, the government is helping to facilitate war crimes and ethnic cleansing.”

Pointing to strong public opposition to allowing Mr Trump to use bases in Britain to “assist with his war crimes,” Ms Bolt said: “The population are also against US nuclear weapons being sited on UK soil. 

“The government needs to act now, by shutting down RAF Menwith Hill and all UK bases being used to enable Trump’s global war drive and nuclear proliferation.”

Palestine Solidarity Campaign chair Louise Regan warned that there was “overwhelming evidence to suggest that RAF Menwith has been used to provide intelligence to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), and therefore to help target their attacks in Gaza.

“This means that the government has allowed a spy station based on UK soil to assist with Israel’s mass slaughter of Palestinian civilians,” she said. 

“If the government is truly serious about ending its complicity in genocide, then it needs to enact a full embargo on Israel and end all intelligence sharing with the IDF and shut down this base.”

Yorkshire CND chair Dave Webb said that base is one of many involving Britain in the illegal wars in Gaza and Iran, adding: “It is time to close US bases and send the occupying forces home.”

Hazel Costello of the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign said it was “even more important to bring the real purpose of the Menwith Hill base to the attention of as many people as possible, to encourage them to demand accountability from those operating the base and to work to close it down.”

When asked to comment, the Ministry of Defence said it would be for US Public Affairs to respond, as the site is a US base. 

The US embassy was approached for comment. 

Iran War / 14 August 2026 ‘To keep Britain safe, Burnham must end US use of British bases’ 14 August 2026 Peace activists and trade unionists to gather at RAF Fairford to protest against US bombers taking off from Britain to strike Iran

War / 26 July 2026 Burnham urged to do the ‘right thing’ and end US use of British military bases to bomb Iran 26 July 2026 Britain / 31 March 2026 Two British bases accused of aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza and Iran 31 March 2026 War / 2 March 2026 Chaos spreads across Middle East as US and Israel continue attacks on Iran 2 March 2026 Tehran retaliates with attacks on Israel, the Gulf Arab states and crude oil flows