Failed bid to stop UK selling arms to Saudi cost us £600k

A FAILED bid to stop Britain selling arms to Saudi Arabia has cost taxpayers more than £600,000, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

In a High Court battle, campaigners had argued that British- made fighter jets and bombs sent to the Gulf state were being used against civilians in the war in Yemen.

But after hearing secret evidence in the case brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), judges rejected claims the Government was acting unlawfully by failing to suspend the sale of UK arms.

Revealing the £600,000 cost in the Commons, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox also warned it could rise if campaigners appeal the decision.

Rob Williams, chief executive of charity War Child, said: ‘All evidence shared publicly makes it clear that the UK Government has blood on its hands.’

But a Government spokesman said: ‘We welcome this judgment, which underscores the fact that the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.’

Britain has sold more than £3.3 billion of arms to Saudi Arabia since it began bombing Yemen in March 2015. The country is supporting President Hadi against rebel forces.