British MPs call for halt to Saudi weapons sales

The British government is facing increased pressure to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, with a cross-party committee of MPs stating there was "overwhelming" evidence a Saudi-led coalition had violated international laws in Yemen using UK-supplied weapons.

In a letter to International Development Secretary Justine Greening, the Commons international development committee on Tuesday said the flow of arms to Saudi Arabia had soared since the start of the Yemen conflict, with close to £3bn of export licences granted in the last six months, a figure that dwarfs the previous year's total.

"We are shocked that the UK government can continue to claim that there have been no breaches of humanitarian law by the coalition and not only continue sales of arms to Saudi Arabia but significantly increase them since the start of the coalition intervention into Yemen," the committee said.

"We are convinced that there is more than a clear risk that weapons sold to Saudi Arabia might be used in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law.

"The evidence that we have heard is overwhelming that the Saudi-led coalition has committed violations of international law, using equipment supplied by the UK."

British trade laws state that arms cannot be sold to a country if there is a risk that they will be used in attacks that violate of international law.

The committee's intervention comes after a leaked UN report found that the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen had targeted civilians in air strikes in a "widespread and systematic" way.

The UN report also charged that civilians were being deliberately starved, and called for an inquiry into human rights abuses.

The leaked 51-page report, prepared by a UN panel of experts on Yemen and sent to the Security Council last month, found that 119 sorties carried out by the Saudi-led coalition violated international humanitarian law. 

The UK's Middle East minister dismissed the leaked UN report, saying it was based on “hearsay and photographs” during a heated debate in the House of Commons last Thursday.

Tobias Ellwood, was responding to an urgent question over the use of UK-made weapons in the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen.

"The actual people who wrote this report didn’t visit Yemen. They are basing this on satellite technology," he said.

Stephen Twigg, a member of the international development committee, said on Wednesday: "We need an independent, international fact-finding mission to uncover the truth. Until then we should cease selling arms to Saudi Arabia.

"All parties to this conflict should review their obligations under international law and undertake to put civilians and humanitarian work above other interests."

Ministers attend arms trade dinner

The Independent newspaper reported on Wednesday that British ministers, including the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, attended an arms trade dinner on the same day the committee's letter was released.

The ADS Group, a trade body for the defence industry, said in a statement posted on social media that Fallon had provided “tremendous support” at the dinner.  

ADS members include BAE Systems, which builds the Eurofighter and the Tornado, both of which are being used in Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign.

Raytheon, another member, makes Paveway guided bombs, while MBDA makes Brimstone missiles. Both weapons have been sold to Saudi Arabia and used in Yemen.