Britain should institute a full arms embargo on the participants in the Saudi-led coalition and any other state committing war crimes. Beyond those countries involved in the war in Yemen, this should include, as a starting point, Israel as well asstates supplying arms to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
The British government should levy a windfall tax on profits made by UK-based arms manufacturers from selling weapons used by Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners during the war in Yemen. Initial calculations suggest that such a levy could raise a combined £3.9 billion from BAE Systems and Rolls Royce alone. The British state should match whatever figure is raised by this windfall tax, funded from a UK aid budget restored to 0.7 per cent of GNI.
The funded commitment of £7.8 billion should be paid as reparations to the Yemeni people, in recompense for Britain’s role in the crimes committed against them by the Saudi-led coalition during the 2015–2022 war. In the first instance, such funds should be provided for the purposes of humanitarian relief, with any remainder paid into an appropriate Yemeni fund for long-term reconstruction.
Further research should be mandated regarding the viability of similar windfall tax measures to apply to arms sales that have historically been made to countries violating international law.