The number of ‘secretive’ deals to sell arms to Saudi Arabia has increased considerably since Theresa May became Prime Minister

The number of open licences for weapons given to Saudi Arabia has increased considerably since Theresa May became Prime Minister, according to government figures analysed by Sky News. …

Between July 2016 and September 2017, 50 open licences have been issued – compared with the 32 issued in the 15 months before Mrs May entered Downing Street. This is an increase of 56%.

Open weapon sale licences have been described as “secretive” by campaign groups because they allow an uncapped number of items to be sent to another country for five years.

There is no requirement to declare who the end user of the military items are, the licence’s value cannot be provided until the end of the five-year period, and campaigners claim there is no obligation for the Government to publish the total afterwards. …

Although the reported sales of weapons under Mrs May are less than her predecessor David Cameron, they could be significantly higher because the value of sales through open licences during her premiership is not known.

UK accused of using ‘secretive’ deals to sell arms to Saudi Arabia
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-accused-of-using-secretive-deals-to-sell-arms-to-saudi-arabia-11278466