Facts

On March 1, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly tweeted: “Today the UK renewed our commitment to providing vital #UKAid to the long suffering Yemeni people, with new support including hundreds of health clinics.

“Peace is the only way to end the suffering. #Yemen’s leaders must agree to the @UN’s ceasefire to end the conflict.”

The UK actually cut aid to Yemen by £77m from last year, citing financial pressure from Covid. The chief of the UN, Antonio Guterres said that reducing aid was a “death sentence”.

In February 2021 the UK declined to follow the US lead in suspending arms sales to Saudi Arabia. These amounted to 40% of the volume of UK arms exports between 2010 and 2019 and sustain the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen. For more on British dishonesty in connection with our sponsorship of the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen see here.

Verdict

Cleverly’s claim of “commitment” to aid and “new support” for Yemen was hypocritical, selective, misleading and insulting. In fact the UK had cut aid to a country in desperate need of it.