UK’s ‘shameful neglect’

Sir,

The fact that British ministers have refused to join the US in suspending arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in war-torn Yemen is shameful and shows just how far the UK has morally sunk.

US president Joe Biden recently announced the suspension, meeting a long-standing campaign pledge, and this decision casts an uncomfortable spotlight on the UK government.

The UK government has licensed the sale of at least £5.3billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the war began in March 2015, as well as providing training and technical support.

The irony of all this is that the UK is the ‘penholder’ on Yemen at the UN security council, which means it has the power to draft resolutions to support efforts to end the conflict. It therefore has a special responsibility to do all it can to advance the peace process.

So, while calling for an end to violence, it is simultaneously supplying the weapons necessary to prolong the conflict.

The shameful neglect of this leadership role and continued licensing of arms to facilitate Saudi-led offensives is unsustainable. It is a stance that leaves the UK increasingly isolated on the global stage, with countries, including Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, already banning the export of arms to Saudi Arabia.

The UK government now faces a choice: to join President Biden and live up to its obligations as UN penholder by ending the UK’s involvement in the Saudi campaign, or to continue to act as both peacekeeper and warmonger, undermining any moral leadership it might claim.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh.