Labor Government to Stop Saudi Arabia Weapons Sales - Party Leader

The Labor government would halt the arms sales to Saudi Arabia that is allegedly using the weaponry to increase tension in Yemen, the leader of Labor Party Jeremy Corbyn said Wednesay.

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) — Corbyn stressed that conflicts like the ones in Yemen or Syria should have a political rather than military solution.

"Under a Labor government, when there are credible reports of human rights abuses or war crimes being committed, British arms sales will be suspended, starting with Saudi Arabia," Corbyn said at the Labour conference in Liverpool.

Yemen has been torn by a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force.

Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request despite a ceasefire agreed shortly before.

In September, the report by two committees appointed by the UK parliament revealed that the UK government had been willfully ignoring the possibility of the misuse of the arms it had been selling to Saudi Arabia.