As Millions Of Yemenis Starve, Saudis Woo Tory MPs With Lavish Meals

Fact checked

Some members of the UK parliament appear to have turned a blind eye to the Saudi blockade of Yemen which has left 20 million people on the brink of starvation

They prefer to fill their bellies thanks to royal Saudi hospitality to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly intensified its lobbying efforts since the start of its deadly war on Yemen and some British MP’s have accepted thousands of pounds in lavish perks in breach of the code of conduct.

According to the Middle East Eye, certain members of parliament have this year accepted around ÂŁ94,189 ($126,939) worth of luxury hotel stays, lavish dinners, business class flights, donations and other forms of hospitality from the Saudi Government

RT reports: So far this year, 13 Conservative MPs have accepted the royal welcome, as well as one Labour MP, who reportedly got a donation worth ÂŁ6,722 ($8,964), from the Saudi Kingdom.

The Saudi lobbying blitz seems to be working. Earlier this month it was revealed that the UK had exported £4.7 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the start of the Yemen war in March 2015 – an increase of almost 500 percent when compared to total weapon sales from January 2008 to April 2015. Since the beginning of the war, British MPs accepted more than £130,000 ($173,300) worth of donations and services from Saudi Arabia, according to the Register of Members’ Interests.

However, the outpouring of Saudi generosity also coincides with increasing scrutiny of the Yemen war.

Former Tory cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell recently accused the UK of being “dangerously complicit” in a Saudi-led campaign against Yemen that is “promoting a famine and the collective punishment of an entire population.” But Riyadh managed to find a sympathetic friend in Leo Docherty, a Conservative MP and former chair of Conservative Middle East Council (CMEC).

In September, Docherty led a delegation of four Tory MPs on a six-day trip to Saudi Arabia, during which the British parliamentarians met with King Salman and other senior officials at the al-Salam palace.

Upon returning home, each MP declared gifts of ÂŁ7,800 ($10,400) from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the form of business-class flights, luxury accommodation and food, transport and hospitality.

But as Middle East Eye reports, Docherty failed to disclose his trip to Saudi Arabia when, a month later, he “submitted two written questions regarding arms exports to Saudi Arabia and in defence of the Ministry of Defence’s support for a close relationship with the kingdom” – a violation of the Commons code of conduct.

Advocates for the kingdom and its insatiable appetite for arms can be found at the highest levels of the UK government. In October, then-defense secretary Michael Fallon infamously urged MPs to stop criticizing Saudi Arabia, arguing that questioning Saudi crimes against Yemen wasn’t helpful for UK arms sales. Not everyone is convinced, though.

“The shameless arms supplies to Saudi Arabia 
 may amount to lucrative trade deals, but the UK risks aiding and abetting these terrible crimes,” James Lynch, head of Arms Control and Human Rights at Amnesty International, said in a recent statement.

 

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.