UK sells £1.1bn worth of arms and military kit to Saudi Arabia in first half of 2017

Britain continues to sell arms to Riyadh despite widespread outrage over its conduct in Yemen.

British sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia have topped £1.1bn in just six months, according to Government figures.

The latest statistics released by the Department for International Trade (DIT) showed the UK sold £836m of arms and military hardware to Saudi Arabia between April and June – up from £280m between January and March.

The UK’s sale of weapons to the kingdom has been condemned by campaigners and the Labour party as its bombing campaign against Yemen continues.

Around 10,000 people have died in the two-and-a-half-year conflict between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Yemeni revolutionaries , who ousted Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi from power in Sanaa in 2012.