Secrecy surrounds UK foreign secretary’s Middle East talks with Tony Blair Submitted by Daniel Tester on Tue, 05/19/2026 - 09:41 Meeting with Yvette Cooper came as former prime minister was advocating for Trump's Gaza 'Board of Peace' - but foreign office says no minutes exist Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair attends the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, 19 February 2026 (Kevin Lamarque/(Reuters) Off The UK foreign office failed to keep any minutes of a meeting about the Middle East last December between Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and former prime minister Tony Blair, Middle East Eye can reveal. The lack of records of what was discussed at the meeting, which took place at the same time as Blair was advocating on behalf of US President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace for Gaza, was described as “deeply concerning” by one government transparency expert. The 4 December meeting was revealed in foreign office documents published on the UK government website in March, which has not been previously reported.