After her statement in Parliament, Hannah Bardell, SNP Trade Spokesperson, said:
“Whilst today’s High Court ruling is disappointing, we welcome the Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s (CAAT) decision to appeal the case on the UK’s role in selling arms to a regime that displays complete disregard for international humanitarian law.
“The fact remains that the Saudi-led coalition is causing immense harm to the people of Yemen and is doing so with UK-made arms – according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights campaign groups. This must stop.
“The UK government must be held to account and the evidence put forward must be made public so there is full transparency and scrutiny – that was not the case with this ruling.
“We agree with CAAT that the open evidence simple does not support the government’s assertion that the Saudi-led coalition is not targeting civilians in Yemen. If the government has the evidence to support its case then it should publish it and, if not, it should immediately end arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
“The devastating war in Yemen has resulted in the deaths of thousands, including innocent men, women and children and the indiscriminate bombardment of hospitals and villages – with mounting evidence of violations of international law.
“The SNP will push the UK government to end its arms exports and military cooperation with Saudi Arabia and throw its full weight behind humanitarian efforts to play a meaningful role in ending the conflict in Yemen.
“The Secretary of State for International Trade has today supported calls by the SNP to re-establish the Committee on Arms Export Controls before recess. SNP MPs will work with parties across the House to ensure that the UK government turns words into action, and that this is not kicked into the long grass.”