House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement
Trade Update
07 July 2020 · Department for International Trade
Proposed by Elizabeth Truss Con South West Norfolk
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The Minister has reassessed military export licences to Saudi Arabia based on a revised IHL analysis.
- The Government concludes there is no clear risk of serious violations and lifts the previous undertaking not to grant new licences.
- The backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners will be processed, though it may take several months.
Issue summary
The statement addresses the compliance with the Court of Appeal's judgment regarding military export licences to Saudi Arabia for possible use in Yemen.
Action requested
The Minister has reassessed the decisions based on a revised IHL analysis and concluded that there is no clear risk of serious violations, thus lifting the previous undertaking not to grant new licences. The Government will now process the backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, though this may take several months.
Key facts
- Court of Appeal judgment of June 2019 required compliance with Criterion 2c regarding military exports.
- IHL analysis was conducted on credible incidents of concern, revealing isolated 'possible' violations.
- The Government concluded Saudi Arabia has the intent and capacity to comply with IHL.
- Backlog of licence applications for Saudi Arabia will be processed over several months.