"Make Britain Great Again" Episode 1: Evidence Pack
This evidence pack provides the complete, verifiable paper trail for every claim made in Episode 1 of the “Make Britain Great Again” series, released on social media platforms by Modern UK.
The aim of this document is absolute transparency. Below you will find the script broken down line by line, separating narrative structure from historical fact, complete with direct links to original source material, official filings, and investigative reports so you can verify the timeline for yourself.
1. “JD Vance - the future king of the Zionist, genocide supporting, pedophile sheltering MAGA machine, is actually far more involved in UK politics than you realise.”
Classification: Editorial framing and opinion. The claims underpinning each element of this description - the Israel lobby donations, the Gaza statements, the Epstein connection, the UK political activity - are evidenced across this pack and Episodes 2 and 3.
2. “Apparently, Vance grew up poor in Ohio. A broken family, addiction...”
Classification: Fact.
JD Vance was born James Donald Bowman on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio. He was raised primarily by his maternal grandparents after his mother struggled with heroin addiction. His upbringing is detailed in his own memoir Hillbilly Elegy (2016) and confirmed across all major biographical sources.
Sources:
Wikipedia - JD Vance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
CBS News - “The billionaire who fueled JD Vance’s rapid rise” (July 2024): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/
3. “Despite this, he managed to make it to Yale Law School, which is where everything changed, when he first heard Peter Thiel speak. Vance later said it was the most significant moment of his time there.”
Classification: Fact. Direct quote.
Vance attended Yale Law School. In a blog post for The Lamp, a Catholic magazine, Vance wrote: “Peter’s talk remains the most significant moment of my time at Yale Law School.” This is confirmed across multiple sources including the Revolving Door Project, CBS News, Zeteo, and The Conversation.
Sources:
CBS News - “The billionaire who fueled JD Vance’s rapid rise” (July 2024): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/
Revolving Door Project - Peter Thiel profile: https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/billionaires-and-the-trump-admin-peter-thiel/
The Conversation - “Libertarian tech titan Peter Thiel helped make JD Vance”: https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-libertarian-tech-titan-peter-thiel-helped-make-jd-vance-the-republican-kingmakers-influence-is-growing-261856
4. “Now for those unfamiliar, Theil is the billionaire owner of Palantir.”
Classification: Fact.
Peter Thiel co-founded Palantir Technologies in 2003 and has served as its chairman since inception. Forbes estimates his net worth at approximately $20.8 billion.
Sources:
Wikipedia - Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
Forbes - Peter Thiel profile: https://www.forbes.com/profile/peter-thiel/
5. “The company that Peter Mandelson helped to deeply embed itself in our NHS, MOD and Cabinet.”
Classification: Supported claim with sourcing caveat.
Palantir holds confirmed contracts across the NHS (a £330m data platform contract), the Ministry of Defence (a £240m contract awarded December 2025 without competitive tender), and has access to Cabinet-level government data systems. Total UK government contracts exceed £670m.
Peter Mandelson co-founded and held a 24% stake in the lobbying firm Global Counsel, which counted Palantir as a client. As UK Ambassador to the US, Mandelson arranged and accompanied Prime Minister Starmer’s visit to Palantir’s Washington showroom in February 2025, where Starmer met Palantir CEO Alex Karp. The meeting was not minuted. The £240m MoD contract followed in December 2025. A Hansard parliamentary debate records MPs asking directly whether Mandelson “lobbied the UK Government for deliverables” including on behalf of Palantir clients. A separate investigation by The Nerve confirmed Mandelson’s facilitation role was reported to have “helped along” the MoD contract. The government denies Mandelson influenced the contract award. The narrative characterisation “helped to deeply embed” reflects a brokering and facilitation role that is documented but formally denied by the government.
Sources:
The Lowdown NHS - Palantir contracts investigation (March 2026): https://lowdownnhs.info/topics/accountablility/palantir-the-controversy-the-contracts-and-the-campaign/
The Week - “Palantir’s growing influence in the British state” (February 2026): https://theweek.com/tech/palantir-influence-in-the-british-state-mod-mandelson
LBC - “This Reeks: Sir Ed Davey demands investigation” (March 2026): https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/sir-ed-davey-investigation-mandelson-palantir-contract-government-5HjdWNF_2/
LBC - “Senior MPs over potential Mandelson involvement in Palantir contract”: https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/senior-mps-potential-mandelson-involvement-palantir-government-starmer-5HjdWdM_2/
Hansard - Ministry of Defence Palantir Contracts debate (10 February 2026): https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-02-10/debates/FECED111-4FA8-4343-BFAF-18D6C13808D0/MinistryOfDefencePalantirContracts
Green Party - “Contracts with Palantir must be suspended immediately” (February 2026): https://greenparty.org.uk/2026/02/10/contracts-with-trump-supporting-palantir-must-be-suspended-immediately-say-greens/
6. “Palantir is also the operating system behind MAGA and the Israeli military — harvesting data to place Palestinian civilians on AI selected kill lists.”
Classification: Evidenced characterisation.
On MAGA: Palantir has won extensive contracts with the Trump administration including involvement in the DOGE federal data consolidation project and the deportation targeting database. Since Trump and Vance took office, Palantir’s federal contracts have grown from $541m to over $970m annually.
On the Israeli military: Palantir has a confirmed strategic partnership with the Israeli Defence Ministry announced in January 2024. The AI targeting system known as “Lavender” - which generates kill lists by scoring Palestinian civilians for potential targeting - was reported on in detail by +972 Magazine using testimony from Israeli intelligence officers. The UN Special Committee on Palestine has accused Palantir of providing AI systems used in Gaza operations.
Sources:
Newsletter of the Brave — “JD Vance’s Rise to Power is Being Bankrolled by the Elite” (March 2026):
+972 Magazine — “Lavender: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree” (April 2024): https://www.972mag.com/lavender-ai-israeli-army-gaza/
The Week — “Palantir’s growing influence in the British state” (February 2026): https://theweek.com/tech/palantir-influence-in-the-british-state-mod-mandelson
7. “This is a man who once said ‘I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.’”
Classification: Fact. Verified direct quote from primary source.
Peter Thiel wrote this in an essay titled “The Education of a Libertarian,” published by the Cato Institute’s journal Cato Unbound in April 2009. The original essay is publicly available in full at the link below. The exact sentence reads: “Most importantly, I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”
Source:
Cato Unbound — “The Education of a Libertarian,” Peter Thiel (April 13, 2009): https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian/
8. “After Yale, Vance went to work directly for Thiel at his venture capital firm.”
Classification: Fact.
After graduating from Yale Law School in 2013, Vance joined Mithril Capital Management — a venture capital firm co-founded by Peter Thiel — as a principal. He later co-founded Narya Capital, also backed by Thiel.
Sources:
CBS News — “The billionaire who fueled JD Vance’s rapid rise” (July 2024): https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-trump-vp-peter-thiel-billionaire/
Revolving Door Project — Peter Thiel profile: https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/billionaires-and-the-trump-admin-peter-thiel/
Wikipedia — JD Vance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
9. “Then wrote a memoir about his upbringing that became a bestseller, amplified by Thiel’s entire network.”
Classification: Fact.
Hillbilly Elegy was published in June 2016 and became a New York Times bestseller, remaining on the list for over 70 weeks. Peter Thiel wrote a blurb for the book. The Thiel network amplified it extensively. Vance himself has written that Thiel was an inspiration for his path and that the book’s success was intertwined with his Silicon Valley connections.
Sources:
Salon — “JD Vance owes almost everything to Peter Thiel” (July 2024): https://www.salon.com/2024/07/22/jd-vance-owes-almost-everything-to-peter-thiel-a-pro-billionaire-and-new-right-ideologue/
Wikipedia — JD Vance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
10. “He then ran for the Ohio Senate seat in 2022 with zero political experience and won.”
Classification: Fact.
Vance had held no prior elected or appointed political office before running for the US Senate in Ohio in 2022. He won the Republican primary in May 2022 and the general election in November 2022, defeating Democrat Tim Ryan.
Source:
Wikipedia — 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_States_Senate_election_in_Ohio
11. “This was helped by a $15 million donation from Theil — the largest single donation to any Senate candidate in American history.”
Classification: Fact.
Peter Thiel donated $15 million to Protect Ohio Values PAC, a super PAC supporting Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign. This is confirmed by Federal Election Commission filings and reported as the largest single donation to a Senate candidate in American history.
Sources:
Zeteo — “He Hates Democracy and Wants To Cheat Death” (August 2024):
Revolving Door Project — Peter Thiel profile: https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/billionaires-and-the-trump-admin-peter-thiel/
Federal Election Commission — Protect Ohio Values PAC: https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00795278/
12. “Five years ago, this same man called Donald Trump an American Hitler. Said he couldn’t stomach him.”
Classification: Fact. Both statements verified from primary sources.
In a private Facebook message to his Yale Law School roommate Josh McLaurin in February 2016, Vance wrote: “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.” McLaurin, now a Georgia state senator, made the screenshot public in 2022. Vance has acknowledged the message is genuine and said he regrets it.
On “couldn’t stomach”: Vance told NPR in August 2016: “I think that I’m going to vote third party because I can’t stomach Trump.” Vance described himself publicly as a “Never Trump guy.”
Sources:
CNN — “KFILE: JD Vance once called Trump a ‘moral disaster,’ and possibly ‘America’s Hitler’” (July 2024): https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/politics/kfile-jd-vance-comments-trump/index.html
Snopes — “JD Vance Once Called Trump ‘America’s Hitler’?” (July 2024): https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/vance-trump-hitler-quote/
Daily Beast — “’America’s Hitler’: All the Times JD Vance Trashed Trump”: https://www.thedailybeast.com/americas-hitler-all-the-times-jd-vance-trashed-trump/
Ohio Capital Journal — Original reporting on the McLaurin screenshot (April 2022): https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/04/19/americas-hitler-old-j-d-vance-message-turns-up-in-heated-senate-primary/
13. “Then Thiel took him to Mar-a-Lago in February 2021. One meeting, leading to a complete reversal.”
Classification: Fact.
Peter Thiel facilitated a meeting between Vance, Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. at Mar-a-Lago in early 2021. Following this meeting, Vance reversed his public position on Trump entirely and launched his Senate campaign as a MAGA candidate. This is confirmed by the New York Times, the Revolving Door Project, and the Newsletter of the Brave.
Sources:
Newsletter of the Brave — “JD Vance’s Rise to Power is Being Bankrolled by the Elite”:
Revolving Door Project — Peter Thiel profile: https://therevolvingdoorproject.org/billionaires-and-the-trump-admin-peter-thiel/
Axios — “JD Vance’s journey from Never Trump to VP nominee” (July 2024): https://www.axios.com/2024/07/16/jd-vance-trump-statements
14. “Within four years of entering politics he was Vice President of the United States.”
Classification: Fact.
Vance entered electoral politics in 2022. He was elected Vice President of the United States in November 2024 and inaugurated in January 2025.
Source:
Wikipedia — JD Vance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
15. “The ideology underpinning all of it comes from a philosopher called Curtis Yarvin, who argues democracy has failed and should be replaced with a CEO-monarch.”
Classification: Fact.
Curtis Yarvin (writing under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug) is the primary architect of neoreaction or the “Dark Enlightenment.” His core argument holds that democracy is a failed system and should be replaced with a corporate model of governance led by a “CEO-monarch.” This is documented in his own published writing and widely reported.
Sources:
New York Times — “Curtis Yarvin Wants American Democracy Toppled” (February 2022): https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/13/opinion/curtis-yarvin-neoreactionary.html
ARC Magazine — “The Gods of Silicon Valley” (July 2025): https://arcmag.org/the-gods-of-silicon-valley/
16. “Vance praised him by name. Thiel called him the house philosopher.”
Classification: Fact.
Vance explicitly praised Curtis Yarvin by name in public remarks and has described him as a friend. Thiel’s description of Yarvin as the intellectual foundation — referenced in multiple profiles as “house philosopher” — is sourced to Vanity Fair’s 2022 reporting on the Thiel network and confirmed across multiple investigative profiles.
Sources:
ARC Magazine — “The Gods of Silicon Valley” (July 2025): https://arcmag.org/the-gods-of-silicon-valley/
Ohio Capital Journal — JD Vance “calls Curtis Yarvin a friend”: https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/04/19/americas-hitler-old-j-d-vance-message-turns-up-in-heated-senate-primary/
17. “Both attended Trump’s inauguration Ball.”
Classification: Fact.
Both Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin attended events connected to Donald Trump’s January 2025 inauguration. Yarvin’s attendance was reported by multiple outlets covering the ideological networks present at the inauguration.
Sources:
Wikipedia — Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
The Conversation — Peter Thiel profile (January 2025): https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-libertarian-tech-titan-peter-thiel-helped-make-jd-vance-the-republican-kingmakers-influence-is-growing-261856
18. “Vance has taken over $167,000 from the Israel lobby.”
Classification: Fact.
Track AIPAC, which draws on Federal Election Commission filings and OpenSecrets data, records that JD Vance has received over $167,000 in campaign contributions from the Israel lobby across his Senate and Vice Presidential campaigns. The $167,324 figure appears on their dedicated Vance profile page.
Sources:
Track AIPAC — JD Vance profile: https://www.trackaipac.com/trump
OpenSecrets — Pro-Israel industry summary: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?ind=Q05
19. “During the Gaza genocide he said Israel should finish the job and accused Biden of micromanaging them.”
Classification: Fact. Both statements are from primary sources.
“Finish the job”: Vance said in an interview on Fox News Sunday (April 2024): “If you want to get these hostages released, you’ve got to, first of all, enable Israel to actually finish the job.”
“Micromanaging”: Vance said on multiple occasions that America is “not good at micromanaging wars in the Middle East” and should “let them prosecute this war the way they see fit.” His Senate office published a press release making this explicit.
Sources:
The Hill — “JD Vance rips Biden administration for ‘micromanaging’ Israel’s wartime effort” (April 2024): https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4627233-jd-vance-rips-biden-adminsitration-israel-wartime-effort-gaza/
JD Vance Senate press release — “Senator Vance Blasts President Biden’s ‘Incoherent’ Handling of Israel-Hamas War”: https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-vance-blasts-president-bidens-incoherent-handling-of-israel-hamas-war/
Al-Monitor — “Meet JD Vance, Trump’s VP pick: Hawk on Israel, critic of foreign aid” (July 2024): https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/07/meet-jd-vance-trumps-vp-pick-hawk-israel-critic-foreign-aid
20. “He met Netanyahu twice in the last year.”
Classification: Fact.
Vance met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington in July 2025 and in Jerusalem in October 2025. Both meetings are confirmed and reported by multiple outlets.
Sources:
Al Jazeera — JD Vance foreign policy positions: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/16/what-are-jd-vances-foreign-policy-positions-on-israel-ukraine-and-china
Wikipedia — JD Vance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
21. “And when Trump took America to war with Iran, Vance kept his mouth shut, because that is what serving this machine requires.”
Classification: Supported characterisation.
The Trump administration’s 2025–2026 military conflict with Iran is documented. Vance, who had been associated pre-office with a post-liberal “America First” position sceptical of new Middle East wars, made no public statements opposing the conflict. Analysis in The Dispatch explicitly addresses Vance’s silence as a political and personal contradiction.
Source:
The Dispatch — “Will JD Vance Actually Run in 2028?” (March 2026): https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/boilingfrogs/vance-rubio-trump-2028/
22. “Hundreds of emails between Thiel and Epstein.”
Classification: Fact.
The US House Oversight Committee released Epstein files in 2026 that confirmed Thiel and Epstein corresponded for approximately five years. Peter Thiel’s Wikipedia page, updated following the release, states: “Thiel corresponded with Epstein for five years before Epstein’s death.” Multiple reports reference hundreds of emails covering topics including Brexit, investments, and introductions to third parties.
Sources:
Wikipedia — Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
Washington Blade — “Peter Thiel’s expanding power and his overlap with Jeffrey Epstein” (March 2026): https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/03/04/peter-thiel-expanding-power-overlap-jeffrey-epstein/
23. “Epstein invested $40 million in Thiel’s firm.”
Classification: Fact.
Between 2015 and 2016, Jeffrey Epstein invested $40 million across two funds managed by Valar Ventures, the venture capital firm co-founded by Peter Thiel in 2010. This was confirmed by Valar’s own spokesman Aaron Curtis to the New York Times and is documented across multiple sources. The investment has since grown to approximately $170 million and remains the largest asset in Epstein’s estate. In October 2014, emails show Thiel himself suggested Epstein put “$10-20MM” into Valar.
Sources:
Wikipedia — Valar Ventures: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valar_Ventures
Daily Beast — “Jeffrey Epstein’s Secret Deal With MAGA Mastermind Peter Thiel” (June 2025): https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-secret-deal-with-maga-mastermind-peter-thiel-nets-estate-130m/
Gizmodo — “Jeffrey Epstein Reportedly Invested $40 Million in a Company Co-Founded by Peter Thiel” (June 2025): https://gizmodo.com/jeffrey-epstein-reportedly-invested-40-million-in-a-company-co-founded-by-peter-thiel-2000611462
Union-Bulletin — “Epstein orbited Peter Thiel for years over money, connections and advice”: https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/epstein-orbited-peter-thiel-for-years-over-money-connections-and-advice/article_4a26fbdd-f713-5fdb-a05a-817fb0027985.html
24. “He called him a great friend.”
Classification: Fact. Epstein called Thiel his great friend.
In communications to associates — documented in the Epstein files — Epstein referred to Peter Thiel as a “great friend” and described himself as a “major investor with Thiel.” As written in the script, with Epstein as the prior subject, this is accurate: it is Epstein who used this language about Thiel.
Sources:
Union-Bulletin — “Epstein orbited Peter Thiel for years”: https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/epstein-orbited-peter-thiel-for-years-over-money-connections-and-advice/article_4a26fbdd-f713-5fdb-a05a-817fb0027985.html
Washington Blade — “Peter Thiel’s expanding power and his overlap with Jeffrey Epstein” (March 2026): https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/03/04/peter-thiel-expanding-power-overlap-jeffrey-epstein/
25. “Epstein then used that relationship to broker introductions with Israeli defence officials.”
Classification: Fact.
Leaked emails — released by the hacker group Handala and reported by Reuters, Wikipedia, and multiple outlets — show that in 2014, Epstein leveraged his relationship with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to arrange an introduction between Barak and Thiel. Epstein arranged for Barak to meet Thiel in New York on June 9, 2014. Barak subsequently became an investor in Carbyne, an Israeli emergency services technology company, in a deal that ran through Thiel’s network. This documented chain — Epstein brokering Thiel’s introduction to Israeli defence-adjacent figures — is the basis of the Jacobin’s conclusion that the origins of Palantir’s involvement in the Middle East may have had its origins with Epstein.
Sources:
Wikipedia — Valar Ventures (Epstein-Barak-Thiel): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valar_Ventures
Wikipedia — Peter Thiel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
Washington Blade — “Peter Thiel’s expanding power and his overlap with Jeffrey Epstein” (March 2026): https://www.washingtonblade.com/2026/03/04/peter-thiel-expanding-power-overlap-jeffrey-epstein/
26. “Of course they’re not releasing the fucking files.”
Classification: Editorial opinion grounded in documented fact.
The Trump administration has selectively and slowly released Epstein files while managing their political impact. CNN confirmed Vance held a strategy meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi specifically about the Epstein file release. Vance’s office denied the meeting. A source confirmed to CNN it took place.
Source:
CNN — Vance Epstein strategy meeting with Bondi: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/05/politics/vance-bondi-meeting-epstein-files/index.html
This pack is designed for easy navigation. Every claim is backed by a primary or reputable secondary source with a direct, verified link. If any link breaks, search the headline in quotation marks for mirrors.
Thank you for your support. Transparency builds trust.
Dan.