US Reportedly Seeking to Expand Intelligence, Military Presence in UK

LONDON (Sputnik) - The United States is preparing to upgrade its air bases in the United Kingdom in a move that would enable Washington to intercept international communications and launch military strikes from UK territory more quickly and with more devastating effects, an investigative journalism media outlet reported on Wednesday.

According to Declassified UK, the US has earmarked $40 million to expand the Menwith Hill base in North Yorkshire, which it dubbed as "the US National Security Agency’s biggest surveillance facility outside America."

Another $300 million would be spent in the US B52 and Stealth bomber base at Fairford in Gloucestershire, while an undisclosed sum would have been allocated to the CIA base at Croughton, Northamptonshire, the media organization added, claiming that the figures on Menwith Hill and Fairford were given in response to a parliamentary question from Labour lawmaker Alex Sobel.

Declassified UK said that in theory the UK government could veto US operations from those bases, but argued that the amount of money Washington is spending on them makes clear that they do not expect any objections from London.