“Thank you to all the organisers of today’s protest.
Our hearts are with the people of Yemen who are trying to bring about peace and the ability to raise their children safely. The crisis in Yemen is the biggest humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world. 80% of people there require humanitarian assistance in one form or another and Covid-19 is only making the situation worse.
But at the root of the crisis in Yemen is a war which is being facilitated and supported by the Conservative government through the sale of billions of pounds worth of weapons. When pressed on the issue the Tories will talk of the aid which Britain is sending to the country but it’s not good enough to give with one hand and bomb with the other.
When I became Labour leader in 2015 I proposed a government whose watch word would be human rights and prioritising the lives of the poorest people across the globe, that included ending arms sales to Saudi Arabia. I was proud that that was part of our manifesto in both General Elections I led the party into because we cannot pretend to be in favour of human rights, peace and justice around the world if at the same time we are providing the wherewithal for Saudi Arabia and other nations to wage war on the people of Yemen. So we must demand an end to those arms supplies immediately.