London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 25, 2025

UK is world's second biggest arms dealer with 60% of weapons sold to Middle East

UK is world's second biggest arms dealer with 60% of weapons sold to Middle East

Consignments sold abroad as part of the £86billion of weapons exports made in the past decade included Typhoon fighter jets, Brimstone missiles, Paveway bombs, guns and tear gas

Consignments sold abroad as part of the £86billion of weapons exports made in the past decade included Typhoon fighter jets, Brimstone missiles, Paveway bombs, guns and tear gasBritain is the world’s second biggest weapons exporter, with sales of £86billion in the last decade, Government figures revealed yesterday.

In total 60% of the arms – including jets, missiles, bombs and guns – went to the Middle East, mostly Saudi Arabia.

Consignments sold abroad included Typhoon fighter jets, Brimstone missiles, Paveway bombs, guns and tear gas.

Anti-arms campaigners branded the figures “shameful”, saying the UK was “arming repression around the world”.

The Government reiterated that defence exports generate thousands of well-paid, skilled jobs and sustain capabilities that help keep the nation safe.

The Department for International Trade figures show that from 2010-19 only the US was ahead of Britain in the arms export market.


Plenty of Paveway IV missiles were sold


Last year the UK sold £11billion of weapons abroad, £3billion down on 2018.

That amounted to 16% of the global arms trade, with the US on 47%, Russia 11% and France 10%.

Besides the Middle East, Britain’s biggest weapons export destinations were Europe and North America.


Around 60% of the weapons are sold to Middle Eastern countries


Other major defence orders included Hawk jets to India, aircraft engines to France and work on projects for the US.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade’s spokesman Andrew Smith told the Mirror: “Weapons dealers will be celebrating but these figures should be a source of great shame.

Boris Johnson and his colleagues are always talking about ‘Global Britain’ and the importance of human rights and democracy, yet they are arming and supporting repression around the world.


Andrew Smith said the exports 'supported repression'


“These sales are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. For many people they could be a matter of life and death.

“UK-made weapons have played a devastating role in the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen, helping to create the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

“Wherever there is conflict there will always be arms companies trying to profit from it.

“This profiteering does not just enable war but actively fuels it.

"Sales being approved today could be used in atrocities for many years to come.”

Britain announced in July that arms sales to Saudi Arabia, suspended last year, would be resumed.

Judges had called for a review into that country’s alleged breaches of international law in Yemen but the investigation later found “no clear risk” of future serious breaches.

The figures also showed that Britain made almost £4billion last year from exporting cyber security expertise, with services sold mostly to Europe, North America and Asia.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×