THE British government has sold £16 billion worth of arms to human rights abusing regimes, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, over the past decade, research revealed today.

Government statistics collated by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) shows that between 2010 and 2019 Britain licensed arms to 36 countries considered “not free” by human rights monitoring group Freedom House. 

Some of Britain’s biggest customers in death and destruction have been despotic regimes in the Middle East with the government licensing £9.3bn worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, £2.5bn to Oman and £1.4bn to Turkey, according to the research. 

Sales between 2010 to 2019 also included £44 million to Libya and £5.6m to South Sudan. 

CAAT claimed the true value of arms sales is likely to be far higher during this period as many were sold through the secretive Open Licence system.

Andrew Smith of CAAT said: “It has been yet another decade of shameful arms sales and disgraceful alliances. 

“By arming these regimes, Downing Street is sending them a clear message of political and military support. 

“These weapons are not just numbers on a trade sheet, they have been used to empower dictatorships and inflict repression on pro-democracy campaigners.”

Stop the War co-convenor Lindsey German said that the figures revealed the “moral bankruptcy of a Tory government.”

“It sells arms to dictators and despots knowing full well how weapons, aircraft, tanks and tear gas will be used,” she said. 

“The brutal war in Yemen is being waged with British involvement and complicity.

“This has to end, as do the arms sales which are a stain on any supposedly civilised society.”

CAAT’s research showed that Britain has licenced arms to 36 of the 49 countries considered by Freedom House as “not free,” which is determined based on its assessment of access to political rights and civil liberties. 

The group’s vice-president of research and analysis, Sarah Repucci, said: “Not Free countries are places where individuals have no ability to choose lives for themselves, where the authorities exercise near-total or full control, and where rule of law is very weak.  

“In such environments, arms are very likely to fall into the hands of people who do not respect the rights of others, and where there will be no accountability for abuse.”

A government spokesperson said: “The government takes its export responsibilities seriously and assesses all export licences in accordance with strict licensing criteria.

“We will not issue any export licences where to do so would be inconsistent with these criteria.”