Keir Starmer appears to backtrack on promise to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia

14 January 2024 , 12:43

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Labour leader Keir Starmer said he would review all arms sales if he wins power (Image: PA)

Keir Starmer has appeared to backtrack on a commitment to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia if Labour wins power at the next election.

Today, the Labour leader said he would carry out a "review" of all British arms sales - but refused to repeat a vow to stop selling weapons to the oil-rich kingdom. The commitment to "immediately suspend" sales of arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen was included in Labour's 2019 manifesto.

During the 2020 Labour leadership to replace Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Starmer agreed that the UK "should stop the sales of arms to Saudi Arabia". He added at the time: "I want us to go further and review all arms sales, as well as halting the sales to Saudi Arabia that are creating the horrifying humanitarian suffering in Yemen." According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade group the UK has licenced over £8billion in arms to Saudi-led forces since Yemen's bloody civil war began in 2015.

But appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg Mr Starmer said: "We will do a review [of arms sales] to look at the sales, look at the countries and relationships we have. Obviously that follows a review." Pressed again whether it was still his position to stop the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, he added: "We will review the situation and the review will give us the answer to those questions."

The Labour leader also insisted on Sunday that there is "no inconsistency" between his previous promise to give the Commons a say before authorising military action and his support for Friday's strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.

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During the 2020 campaign Mr Starmer pledged to introduce a "Prevention of Military Intervention Act" and ensure the consent of Parliament is given.

Asked whether he had changed in his mind after his backing of the US-UK airstrikes without a Commons vote, the Labour leader said: "There's no inconsistenty here. There is obviously a huge distinction between an operation, the like of which we have seen in the last few days, and military action, a sustained campaign, military action usually involving troops on the ground."

He argued that his proposed change to give the Commons a say only relates to sending in ground forces, adding that he stands by that "in principle, absolutely". "I want to codify that - it could be by a law, it could be by some other means," he added.

In an article over the weekend outlining his support for the strikes against the Houthis, Mr Starmer argued that "protecting trade, security and lives are paramount to our national interest". He said the PM Rishi Sunak "must make a full statement" to the Commons when it returns on Monday, but stressed the need for swift military action. "That is why we must retain the flexibility to react with the necessary speed to threats, while also submitting to scrutiny," he wrote.

Ashley Cowburn