Saudi Arabia and UK close to signing £2 billion Arms deal. What has May learnt?

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been in the British capital for three days on a mission to build broader trade and investment ties, meeting Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Theresa May, key ministers and executives.

Britain and Saudi Arabia signed commercial deals worth more than $2 billion (1.44 billion pounds) during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to London which ended on Friday, a joint statement said, without providing details.

At the start of the trip, the countries set themselves a 65 billion pound ($90 billion) trade and investment target for the coming years, with London looking for new post-Brexit markets for its services sector, and Prince Mohammed seeking to convince wary investors his country is a tolerant and modernising place.

Britain and Saudi Arabia have set themselves a 65 billion- pound ($90 billion) trade and investment target for the coming years, with London looking for new post-Brexit markets for its services sector, and Prince Mohammed seeking to convince wary investors his country is a tolerant and modernising place

But for now the heart of bilateral trade ties remains defence and security. Britain credits Saudi intelligence-sharing with saving British lives and has licensed billions of pounds of weapons and ammunition sales to Saudi Arabia.
That has provided a controversial backdrop to the warm diplomatic welcome for Prince Mohammed, with hundreds turning out on Wednesday to protest arms sales and Saudi Arabia’s role in Yemen’s civil war.
Prime Minister May defended the two countries’ defence ties on Wednesday, saying all arms sales were strictly regulated.

Even after more than 20,000 people coming on to the streets to protest against the state visit from the "progressive" crown prince. Theresa May decided to begin negotiating an arms deal worth an approximate £2 billion.

How long will this continue until the British government wakes up to the dying children of Yemen?

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-saudi/saudi-crown-prince-signs-off-uk-visit-with-push-for-fighter-deal-idUKKCN1GL18W

Not sure why you care about Yemen.

It's a proxy war between Saudi and Iran that will exist regardless of whether we take the opportunity to make some money from it. Additionally, i'd rather Yemen come under the Saudi sphere than Iran's for now.

Not sure why you wouldn't care about innocent men, women and children dying to the hands of the weapons that the UK made.

I would rather wan't the middle east to be a peaceful place, not for any country to be monopolised by Iran or Saudi other than its own ruling government and that won't happen unless we stop selling arms to them.

The contracts for these jets directly supports tens of thousands of workers all over the country. And indirectly supports 10x more.

The PM has placed her electorate first. In the same way that PMs for the last century have.

So you support the indirect murders of women and children everyday on the basis of a few expired jobs. OK?

Even after more than 20,000 people coming on to the streets to protest against the state visit from the "progressive" crown prince. Theresa May decided to begin negotiating an arms deal worth an approximate £2 billion.

It is not the PM's decision alone, there is far too much involved to make it a personal matter Jezza would have no room for compromise either, if you think it would make any difference to have another PM in charge or even another party. There were allegedly a million people in the streets protesting against the invasion of Iraq and Labour still went ahead with it, didn't they?

What is a bit off is that Yemen is not really your concern, May is. Were the dying people be at the centre of things and we would have to agree that the solution doesn't lie in the UK's halting of military exports to them. Making it sound dependent on that and the PM is not realistic, it's an attempt to tag May as an uncaring person.

Not sure why you wouldn't care about innocent men, women and children dying to the hands of the weapons that the UK made.

I would rather wan't the middle east to be a peaceful place, not for any country to be monopolised by Iran or Saudi other than its own ruling government and that won't happen unless we stop selling arms to them.

I was highlighting the fact May was intentionally supplying arms to Saudi and not standing up to the oily authoritarians for their involvement in Yemen.

the Saudi regime are a bunch of slimeballs, but they are vastly preferable to the Iranians. as they say in the Levant "My enemy's enemy is my friend".

Why are the Saudis vastly preferable to the Iranians?

You are the one who is turning this into party politics, I made no mention of Labour or Jeremy Corbyn, I was highlighting the fact May was intentionally supplying arms to Saudi and not standing up to the oily authoritarians for their involvement in Yemen.

This is an attack on Theresa May for funding and supplying arms to a murdering state that is using them to kill innocent men, women and children. Yes, you are correct May is an uncaring person and she must be exposed.

Not anti-western.

Pro-trade.

Prefer US to Russia.

Not anti-western. Pro-trade. Prefer US to Russia.

also not secretly working on nukes.

Is that irreconcilable?

China secretly developed and acquired nuclear weapons, but the West bends over backward to trade with the country.

Pakistan secretly developed and acquired nuclear weapons, and yet it is the third largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid.

Also, thanks for responding to my quote.

the Saudi regime are a bunch of slimeballs, but they are vastly preferable to the Iranians. as they say in the Levant "My enemy's enemy is my friend".