Labour’s posturing imperils British jobs
IT would be an understatement to say that, to Western eyes, Saudi Arabia’s rulers leave a very great deal to be desired.
They have an appalling record on human rights, financing terrorism and subjugating women. There is also strong evidence that they may be guilty of war crimes in the genocidal conflict raging in Yemen.
Indeed, in a perfect world, Britain would keep a fastidious distance from this oil-rich, medieval kingdom. We would certainly not be rolling out the red carpet for its Crown Prince – still less, bidding to sell him arms.
Yet in this deeply imperfect world, grownup politicians have to face uncomfortable facts. One is that, for all its faults, the Saudi monarchy is a force for stability in the volatile powder-keg of the Middle East.
If it were to fall to an Islamist revolution, the consequences for the region and the world would make the atrocities on both sides in Yemen pale by comparison.
Meanwhile, there are encouraging signs that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is moving cautiously towards dragging his country into the modern age.
Allowing women to drive may not sound like a dramatic step. But it’s a glimmer of enlightenment, which could be snuffed out if the West were to sever all links.
As for those arms sales, two truths are incontrovertible. The first is that Britain’s aviation defence industry depends to a vast extent on Saudi orders. Indeed, if the kingdom’s interest in buying 48 Typhoons from BAE Systems falls through, there is a strong possibility that this country may never develop another warplane.
Equally certain is that there are plenty of others, not least the French, who will be all too ready to supply arms to the Saudis if we don’t. So if we refused to do business on moral grounds, as Jeremy Corbyn urges, not a single life would be saved.
In a pious article for The Guardian, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry deplored government overtures to the prince, saying: ‘Not in my name.’
Will she take that same message to BAE workers in Labour’s heartlands – and explain how her delicate conscience matters more than their families’ livelihoods?