UK Politics

[Phylo]

Mother-of-four's warning to holidaymakers after husband is jailed for 10 YEARS after visiting popular tourist destination​

Wife's warning as man jailed for a decade after visiting tourist spot

Ahmed al-Doush, a senior business analyst at Bank of America, lived in Manchester before the day of his arrest when he was swooped on at an airport on August 31 last year as he prepared to fly home.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Overview of UK Arms Exports to Saudi Arabia​

The United Kingdom is one of Saudi Arabia’s primary arms suppliers, alongside the United States. UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia have been extensive and controversial, especially since the onset of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in March 2015136.

Scale and Value of Exports

• Since March 2015, the UK has licensed at least £9.7 billion worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition, with £8.2 billion going directly to Saudi Arabia1. Some estimates, accounting for ongoing maintenance and support, place the real value of UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia at over £29 billion17.
• Over the decade from 2012 to 2022, Saudi Arabia purchased approximately £10 billion in UK armaments7.
• Major deals include the Al-Yamamah arms agreements, the largest export contracts in British history, which began in 1985 and have involved tens of billions of pounds in aircraft, weapons, and services4.

Types of Arms Supplied

• The UK has supplied advanced military aircraft (Typhoon and Tornado jets), missiles (Brimstone, Storm Shadow), bombs (Paveway), and other munitions136.
• Over half of Saudi Arabia’s combat aircraft used in the Yemen conflict are UK-supplied6.
• UK companies, notably BAE Systems, have provided not only hardware but also essential maintenance, training, and technical support to the Royal Saudi Air Force16.

Use in Yemen and Humanitarian Concerns

• UK-made weapons have played a central role in Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign in Yemen, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and contributed to what the UN describes as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis168.
• There is substantial evidence that UK-supplied arms have been used in attacks on civilian targets, including homes, schools, and hospitals6.
• Multiple reports and investigations have found repeated breaches of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition, raising significant ethical and legal questions about continued UK arms sales1257.

Legal and Political Developments

• In 2019, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the government’s decision to continue licensing arms exports to Saudi Arabia was unlawful due to failure to properly assess the risk of humanitarian law violations5.
• The UK government temporarily paused new arms export licenses but resumed them in 2020, claiming violations were “isolated incidents”2.
• Legal challenges and public scrutiny continue, with ongoing debates in Parliament and the courts over the legality and morality of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia28.

Key Points​

• The UK is a leading arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, with billions of pounds in sales and ongoing support.
• UK arms have been used extensively in Yemen, contributing to significant civilian harm.
• The legality and ethics of these exports are hotly contested, with ongoing legal actions and calls for greater scrutiny and restraint12567.