London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

UK resumes arms sales to Saudi Arabia, says ‘possible’ war crimes in Yemen are ‘isolated incidents’

UK resumes arms sales to Saudi Arabia, says ‘possible’ war crimes in Yemen are ‘isolated incidents’

The UK “against human rights violations” government has come under fire after announcing that it is to recommence arms sales to Saudi Arabia, despite acknowledging that the kingdom could be using them to commit war crimes in Yemen.

In a written statement published on Tuesday, International Trade Secretary Liz Truss confirmed that the UK will resume trading militarily with their key ally in the Gulf region. A landmark UK Court of Appeal ruling in June 2019 judged that arms sales to the kingdom were unlawful – prompting the government to suspend new arms sales while it conducted a review.

Truss said they had concluded that, while some “credible incidents of concern” had been recognized as “possible” breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL), the UK government saw these as “isolated incidents.”

Explaining the decision further, Truss claimed that notwithstanding potential historic violations, Saudi Arabia had a “genuine intent” and “capacity to comply with IHL.”

The announcement left many aghast, coming just one day after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was mercilessly mocked online for introducing a new “global sanctions regime” which is intended to “target people that have committed the gravest human rights violations.”


The UK foreign minister announced on Monday that new sanctions – including asset freezes and visa bans – would be brought against 20 Saudi nationals held responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

However, the resumption of arms sales to Riyadh prompted one commenter to cheekily ask: “Will any [UK] Government Ministers be sanctioned - by the [UK] Government?”

Others online were left perplexed by decision, with one person seemingly trying to work out whether the UK are now “the baddies.” There were also those who suggested that nobody should be shocked by the turn of events, with one commenter tweeting: “Outraged, yes. Surprised? No.”


Humanitarian groups and the UN have accused Saudi-led forces of breaching international humanitarian law, including bombing schools, hospitals, weddings and food infrastructure in Yemen since the start of the war with Houthi rebels in 2015.

The conflict has cost an estimated 100,000 lives, with 80 percent of Yemenis requiring humanitarian assistance. The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has described it as a crisis of “cataclysmic proportions.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×