A former UK diplomat has claimed that Britain’s arms export system is fundamentally defective, manipulated for political convenience, and has led to complicity in war crimes.
Mark Smith, who quit the Foreign Office in August, said officials were being pushed to change conclusions about the misuse of British arms by friends. When they refused, senior colleagues allegedly redrafted reports to suggest that the UK was observing international law.
According to Smith, concerns over arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Israel were deliberately downplayed. He recalled a high-level meeting where officials acknowledged that arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid the Yemen conflict had exceeded legal thresholds, yet efforts focused on finding ways to justify continued exports. Tactics included delaying reports and requesting unnecessary additional evidence to feign compliance with regulations.
Similarly, Smith criticized the UK’s sales of arms to Israel, saying that “we continue selling arms to this country, which is committing grave breaches in Gaza”. He further stated that when he raised questions over the legality of those arms sales, he received hostility, ignored emails, and being told to delete all correspondence. Escalation through official channels, from simply writing to the Foreign Secretary, met obstruction.
The UK government claims that its arms export controls are among the strictest in the world. A Foreign Office spokesperson defended the process, saying that a review into Israel’s compliance with international law led to a suspension of certain arms sales in September.
Smith’s allegations could be used as crucial evidence by human rights organizations suing the UK for its arms exports, focusing on parts from Israel’s F-35 jets that now use Gaza as a base.
