The foreign affairs select committee has ruled that British courts should decide the legality of Government arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
The MPs backed calls for the UK to suspend arms sales given that continued exports would breach legal obligations following a judicial review granted to The Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Desire for continued UK-Saudi relations cannot override the UK’s wider legal and moral obligations, the committee said, and backed calls for an independent inquiry into allegations of violations of humanitarian law by the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen.
Committee chair Crispin Blunt said: “Saudi Arabia is a key partner of the UK in the Middle East. However, [that] cannot override our wider legal and moral obligations. It is crucial that the UK does everything in its power to ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition.
“We have called for an independent UN-led investigation into allegations of violations of IHL to supplement the internal investigations of the Saudi-led coalition. We have made serious criticisms of the Government’s handling of the situation and the lack of transparency, which has materially damaged public trust in the arms export controls system. We have made substantive recommendations on the need to establish clarity on such issues as the alleged use of UK-manufactured cluster bombs in Yemen and the activities of UK personnel with the Saudi-led coalition.”
“The appropriateness of the current framework of the law is a separate, yet pertinent, question, on which we did not take evidence. I believe that there is a clear need for a wider discussion on the suitability of the laws governing arms exports.”