UK arms export

{{Short description|none}}  {{multiple issues| {{POV|date=March 2019}} {{too few opinions|date=March 2019}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} [[File:Royal Small Arms Factory.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Royal Small Arms Factory]] in London, closed in 1988.]]

'''UK arms export''' refers to trades of UK-made weapons around the world. The country is one of the world’s most successful arms exporters. According to the analysis by Action on Armed Violence,<ref>{{cite web |title=Action on armed violence |url=https://aoav.org.uk/ |website=aoav}}</ref> Military arms deals have been prepared £39bn between 2008 and 2017.

According to the [[Campaign Against Arms Trade]] (CAAT), the UK mostly has exported arms to [[United States]], [[India]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Oman]], [[South Africa]], [[Turkey]], [[South Korea]], [[Israel]], the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="UK Arms Export Licences">{{cite web |author=Staff Writer |title=UK Arms Export Licences |url=https://www.caat.org.uk/resources/export-licences/region?use=military |publisher=[[Campaign Against Arms Trade]]|website=caat.org.uk}}</ref>

==History== [[UK Trade and Investment]] reveals that "The UK is one of the world's most successful defence exporters, averaging second place in the global rankings on a rolling ten-year basis, making it Europe's leading defence exporter in the period".<ref name="Stone">{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Jon |title=Britain is now the second biggest arms dealer in the world |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-is-now-the-second-biggest-arms-dealer-in-the-world-a7225351.html |website=independent |date=5 September 2016 |accessdate=5 September 2016}}</ref> Also, the UK is known as the most robust [[Arms control|export control]] government in the world. Every application is considered on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. It is proctored, as reported by a spokesman for the [[Department for International Trade]].<ref name="Sharman">{{cite web |last1=Sharman |first1=Jon |title=UK almost doubles arms sales to countries on governments list of human rights abusers, figures reveal |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-arms-sales-double-human-rights-abusers-china-saudi-arabia-israel-yemen-a8452101.html |date=18 July 2018 |work=The Independent |accessdate=18 July 2018}}</ref>

According to the analysis by Action on Armed Violence, military arms deals have been prepared £39bn between 2008 and 2017, £12bn of which belongs to states included on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights “priority countries” list. The analysis of the figures, collated by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade using export control data from the Department for International Trade is indicating a growing trend.<ref name="McVeigh">{{cite web |last1=McVeigh |first1=Karen |title=One-third of UK arms sales go to states on human rights watchlist, say analysts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/dec/21/one-third-of-uk-arms-sales-go-to-states-on-human-rights-watchlist-say-analysts |website=the guardian |date=21 December 2018 |accessdate=21 December 2018}}</ref> As [[Campaign Against Arms Trade|CAAT]] mentioned, It is probable to be “conservative estimate” because of an opaque system of “open” licenses that allow an unlimited number for exporting, but less scrutiny of “open” licenses has been denied by the DIT. In 2016, 5,782 export licenses for military items in countries of concern which provide £1.5bn was reported.<ref name="McVeigh"/><ref name="Mepham"/>

==British sales worldwide== The Audit of the Government’s Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls reported that the UK-made arms were exported to 159 countries in 2000.<ref name="Mepham">{{cite book |last1=Mepham |first1=David |last2=Eavis |first2=Paul |title=The Missing Link in Labour's Foreign Policy: The Case for Tighter Controls Over UK Arms Exports |date=22 November 2002|publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research |isbn=978-1860302107 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oOnc0_8h6eUC&q=uk+arms+exports&pg=PA4}}</ref> Since 2010, UK-made arms have been sold or transferred indirectly to 51 countries, most of which are located in [[Middle East]]. Statistics collected by [[UK Trade & Investment]] indicate UK firms have on average sold more arms than their Russian, Chinese or French counterparts between 2006 and 2016, with only the US being a bigger arms exporter.<ref name="Stone"/> [[File:Trafalgar Square Gaza Protest (53983687790).jpg|thumb|[[Gaza war protests|Pro-Palestinian protest]] at Trafalgar Square, 3 August 2024]] In 2016 most of arms exports went to 18 countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, [[Israel]], Egypt, and Pakistan.<ref name="Sharman"/> Major deals include the long-running [[Al-Yamamah arms deal|Al Yamamah contract]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 August 2013|title=SFO loses BAE al-Yamamah investigation documents|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-23622364|access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref> In 2017, Israel was the second-biggest buyer of UK arms. [[Bahrain]] purchased £30.7 million worth of UK arms, Egypt bought £6.5 million, [[Pakistan]] purchased £11.2M and £11.8 million worth of arms was sold to China. The [[Bangladeshi]] government, which had taken more than 688,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar following ethnic cleansing and religious persecution by the government of Myanmar, bought £38.6M of arms.<ref name="Sharman"/> The UK's main arms deals go to the [[United States]], [[India]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Israel]], [[Oman]], [[South Africa]], [[Turkey]], [[South Korea]], the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Saudi Arabia]], respectively.<ref name="UK Arms Export Licences"/>

Reports indicated that [[Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor|Prince Andrew]] maintained close ties with the [[Saudi royal family]], which was deemed helpful to British trade interests, particularly in the defense sector.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Rowenna |title=Prince Andrew pulls out of Saudi Arabia trade trip |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/mar/12/prince-andrew-saudi-arabia |work=The Guardian |date=12 March 2011}}</ref>

The arms manufactured in the UK includes bombs, [[missile]]s, and fighter jets, machine [[gun]]s. The shelf-life of [[weapon]]s is often longer than the governments and organisations they were sold to.<ref name="Stone"/> A 2021 analysis by the CAAT revealed that the British government financed more than £17 billion worth of weapons to nearly 70% of the world's worst human rights abusers, such as Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/27/17bn-of-uk-arms-sold-to-rights-abusers|title=£17bn of UK arms sold to rights' abusers|last=Townsend|first=Mark|date=27 June 2021|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> In June 2025, Britain's [[High Court of Justice]] ruled that the British government's decision to allow the export of [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|F-35 fighter jet]] parts to Israel was lawful.<ref>{{cite news |title=UK’s sale of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel is lawful, high court rules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jun/30/uk-sale-f-35-fighter-jet-parts-israel-lawful-high-court |work=The Guardian |date=30 June 2025}}</ref>

In October 2025, British Prime Minister [[Keir Starmer]] finalized a landmark defense agreement with [[Turkey]] for the sale of 20 [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] fighter jets, valued at approximately £8 billion ($10.7 billion).<ref>{{cite news |title=UK in £8bn deal to sell Typhoon jets to Turkey despite human rights concerns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/27/uk-in-8bn-deal-to-sell-typhoon-jets-to-turkey-despite-human-rights-concerns |work=The Guardian |date=26 October 2025}}</ref>

==Criticism== [[File:Stop UK Arms Exports to Saudi UAE Dictatorships !.jpg|right|thumb|A 2018 protest against arms exports to [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]].]] Prince Andrew, during his tenure as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, faced significant controversy regarding his role in fostering [[Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations|arms deals with Saudi Arabia]], particularly in relation to alleged bribery and corruption involving [[BAE Systems]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Rob |last2=Leigh |first2=David |title=WikiLeaks cables: Prince Andrew demanded special BAE briefing |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/nov/30/prince-andrew-wikileaks-cables |work=The Guardian |date=30 November 2010}}</ref> In 2010, BAE Systems pleaded guilty in a United States court to charges of false accounting and making misleading statements in connection with the sales.<ref>{{cite news|title=BAE admits guilt over corrupt arms deals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/05/bae-systems-arms-deal-corruption |work=The Guardian|date=6 February 2010 |access-date=20 February 2010 |location=London |first=David |last=Leigh |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209002847/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/05/bae-systems-arms-deal-corruption |archivedate=9 February 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> An investigation by the British [[Serious Fraud Office (United Kingdom)|Serious Fraud Office]] into the deal was discontinued after political pressure from the Saudi and British governments.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 December 2006|title='National interest' halts arms corruption inquiry|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/dec/15/saudiarabia.armstrade|access-date=8 February 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>

UK arms exports have long been criticised by anti-arms trade organisations, which argue that these exports are primarily going to political repressive regimes. In a 2018 interview with ''[[The Independent]]'', [[Campaign Against Arms Trade]] (CAAT) spokesperson Andrew Smith claimed that the [[second May ministry]] was "actively arming and supporting many of the regimes that even it believes are responsible for terrible human rights abuses" through granting arms export licenses to UK firms which allowed them to export arms to these nations. British campaigners against the UK arms trade have claimed the government system for overseeing arms exports contains little oversight and no controls over how exported arms are used once they are sold.<ref name="Sharman"/><ref name="Stone"/><ref name="Stavrianakis">{{cite web |last1=Stavrianakis |first1=Anna |title=Why can't we talk about the UK sending arms to Yemen? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/11/uk-arms-exports-yemen-conflict |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=11 February 2019 |accessdate=11 February 2019}}</ref> In April 2020, CAAT claimed that their analyses indicated that in 2019 UK firms sold arms worth £1.3bn to 26 out of the 48 nations classified as "not free" by [[Freedom House]]. CAAT also stated that the sale of weaponry increased by 300% from 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/uk-arms-trade-repressive-regimes |title=Britain boosts arms sales to repressive regimes by £1bn|accessdate=25 April 2020|website=The Guardian|date=25 April 2020}}</ref>

A major point of criticism regarding UK arms exports have been the sale of UK-made military equipment to the [[Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia]], which have been used in the [[Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war]]. Saudi forces have been accused of committing numerous atrocities during the intervention in the [[Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|Yemeni civil war]].<ref name="McVeigh"/><ref name="Hall">{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Richard |title=British government accused of misleading public over arms sales to human rights abusers |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/arms-sales-uk-saudi-arabia-weapons-jeremy-hunt-yemen-war-parliament-commons-a8732721.html |website=independent |date=18 January 2019 |accessdate=18 January 2019}}</ref><ref name="Milmo">{{cite web |last1=Milmo |first1=Cahal |title=Britain's arms exports grow by billions – as it sells more bombs to drop on Yemen|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/uk-arms-exports-statistics-increase-saudi-arabia-bombs-yemen/ |website=inews |date=21 September 2018 |accessdate=21 September 2018}}</ref> In June 2020, amidst criticism of US police forces' response to the [[George Floyd protests]], the UK government was threatened with an ultimately unrealised lawsuit over the export of riot control equipment to the United States.<ref>{{Cite news|author=P.A. Media|date=10 June 2020|title=Ministers face threat of high court case over UK riot gear sales to US|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/11/uk-government-faces-possible-court-case-over-exports-of-riot-control-gear-to-us|access-date=16 June 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The UK government has also faced numerous legal challenges over its decisions to grant export licenses for firms selling arms to Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/03/lethal-airstrikes-in-yemen-left-off-confidential-uk-record|title=Lethal airstrikes in Yemen 'left off' confidential UK record|accessdate=3 January 2020|website=The Guardian}}</ref> [[File:Arms Embargo Now, Protest at Lockheed Martin, Havant 13.jpg|thumb|Protest at [[Lockheed Martin|Lockheed Martin UK]] in [[Havant]], England, 17 June 2025]] [[Direct action]] was taken at arms factories in the United Kingdom that [[List of countries supplying arms to Israel|supplied arms to Israel]]. For instance, on 10 November 2023, trade unionists in [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]], Kent, blocked the entrances to a [[BAE Systems]] factory, stating the facility manufactured [[military aircraft]] components used to bomb Gaza;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Luck |first1=Flaminia |title=Israel-Gaza: Union members block arms factory in protest over conflict |work=BBC News |date=10 November 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-67378052 |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110162943/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-67378052 |url-status=live }}</ref> and on 16 November, [[Palestine Action]] occupied a [[Leonardo S.p.A.|Leonardo]] factory in [[Southampton]], stopping production.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Simone |first1=Carlo |title=Leonardo UK profile as Southampton factory roof occupied by Palestine Action |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23927518.leonardo-uk-amid-southampton-palestine-protest/ |work=Daily Echo |date=16 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref> As of late 2025, the UK continued to allow the sale of critical military hardware, most notably parts for [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|F-35 fighter jets]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Safdar |first1=Anealla |title=Corbyn-led tribunal accuses UK of complicity in Gaza genocide |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/5/corbyn-led-tribunal-accuses-uk-of-complicity-in-gaza-genocide |work=Al Jazeera |date=5 September 2025}}</ref>

In late 2025, Keir Starmer’s government faced intensifying parliamentary and public pressure to suspend arms sales to the [[United Arab Emirates]] following reports that British-made military equipment was being diverted to the [[Rapid Support Forces]] (RSF) in Sudan.<ref name="TheGuardian-El Fasher">{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Mark |title=UK military equipment used by militia accused of genocide found in Sudan, UN told |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/oct/28/uk-military-equipment-rapid-support-forces-rsf-militia-accused-genocide-found-sudan-united-nations |work=The Guardian |date=28 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Government allowed surge in arms exports to UAE despite knowledge of diversion to Sudan |url=https://caat.org.uk/news/government-allowed-surge-in-arms-exports-to-uae-despite-knowledge-of-diversion-to-sudan/ |publisher=[[Campaign Against Arms Trade]]|date=18 November 2025}}</ref> In October 2025, a United Nations Security Council investigation found that British military equipment had been deployed by the RSF during their [[Siege of El Fasher|siege]] and subsequent capture of [[El Fasher]], North Darfur.<ref name="TheGuardian-El Fasher"/> The fall of the city followed an 18-month siege and immediately resulted in a large-scale [[El Fasher massacre|massacre of civilians]], characterized by humanitarian experts as one of the worst [[War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|war crimes]] of the [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|Sudanese civil war]]. Foreign Secretary [[Yvette Cooper]] has declined to commit to halting British arms exports to the UAE, instead focusing on diplomatic pressure and humanitarian aid.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Henrys |first1=Rebecca |title=UK could be in breach of its own arms export rules over Sudan war, MPs hear |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/sudan-war-british-arms-exports-5HjdG5n_2/ |work=[[LBC]] |date=28 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Penna |first1=Dominic |title=Pressure UAE over Sudan massacres, MPs tell Cooper |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/11/01/pressure-uae-over-sudan-war-yvette-cooper-darfur-genocide/ |work=The Telegraph |date=1 November 2025}}</ref>

==See also== *[[Arms industry]] *[[Arms control]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Arms control]] [[Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Islington]] [[Category:Peace organisations based in the United Kingdom]]