Skip to main content

MPs slam Tories for ‘pretending to be an honest broker’ in Yemen

MINISTERS praising Britain’s aid contributions to Yemen were accused of “shameful duplicity” today as MPs called out the government’s “central role” in the conflict. 

In a Commons debate on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, MPs criticised the Tory government for “pretending to be an honest broker” in the crisis, while licensing billions of pounds worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia.

More than 100,000 people have been killed in the five-year civil war between Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition.

Opening the debate, Tory former minister Tim Loughton praised Britain’s aid contribution, adding that a “sustainable” ceasefire was required for progress to be made.

But Labour MP Sam Tarry argued that Britain had played a “central role” in creating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by licensing more than £5 billion worth of arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the past five years.

“In that same period, 60 per cent of all civilian deaths in Yemen have been caused by the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing,” he said. 

Labour’s Claudia Webbe said: “The UK’s duplicity is shameful.

“With one hand they sign resolutions and speak of their desires to end the conflict, yet with the other they continue to facilitate the suffering of the Yemeni people, providing the weapons which rain down on civilian houses.”

The SNP’s Patricia Gibson said that continuing arms sales to Saudi Arabia “mocks any efforts by the UK to pretend to be an honest broker.”

The MPs called for the British government to stop selling arms to the Gulf state, condemning ministers’ decision to resume sales after they were banned by the court of appeal last year.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss announced that new licences would be made from July, claiming that allegations Saudi Arabia was committing war crimes in Yemen were “isolated incidents.”

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade said yesterday that while the government had given £1 billion in aid to Yemen, it had licensed £6.5 billion worth of arms to countries bombing it. 

CAAT’s Adam Smith said: “There is no doubt that Yemen needs aid. The humanitarian crisis is the worst in the world and is getting even worse.

“Unfortunately, the sums which have been given are a fraction of the value of the weapons that have been sold to the regimes who are responsible for the bombardment.”

OWNED BY OUR READERS

We're a reader-owned co-operative, which means you can become part of the paper too by buying shares in the People’s Press Printing Society.

 

 

Become a supporter

Fighting fund

You've Raised:£ 13,288
We need:£ 4,712
3 Days remaining
Donate today