Theresa May discusses ‘humanitarian law’ with Saudi Arabia and ending Yemen war

Britain has been criticised for its role in selling arms to the Arab kingdom

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, said she hopes Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman will be able to visit Britain soon (PA)

Theresa May has stressed the need to end Yemen's civil war and discussed the importance of complying with international humanitarian law in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.

Britain's ally has been accused of committing war crimes "with impunity" with its bloody air campaign against Houthi rebels, who are fighting President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's government.

More than 10,000 people have been killed and three million displaced in the two-and-a-half year conflict, with the Saudi-led coalition's air and naval blockade driving millions more to the brink of famine and sparking the world's largest ongoing cholera outbreak.

The British Government stands accused of being complicit in the devastation by selling arms to the Saudis that have been used in the campaign.

Activists launched a judicial review of the trade, with UK and EU export licences banned if there is a "clear risk" equipment could be used to break international law.

But the High Court ruled that the Government's position was lawful and sales could continue in July.

More than £3.3bn worth of UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia have been licensed since the bombing began in March 2015.

The Government was criticised by Labour last month after highlighting UK efforts to help to deal with the cholera outbreak in Yemen, which has affected hundreds of thousands of people, while continuing to arm the Saudis.

The Prime Minister discussed the issue with Adel al-Jubeir at a short Downing Street meeting on Monday.

A Number 10 spokesman said: "They discussed Yemen, the need to bring the conflict to an end, and the continued importance of demonstrating compliance with international humanitarian law."

The meeting also touched on a number of other issues, including the Prime Minister's hopes Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman would be able to visit Britain soon.

The spokesman said: "They discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the ongoing isolation of Qatar in the Gulf region, with the Prime Minister reiterating her call for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation and restore Gulf Co-operation Council unity at the earliest opportunity.

"They also discussed Saudi Arabia's 'Vision 2030' programme for reform and modernisation.

"The Prime Minister noted its focus on transformation, innovation and empowerment and said that the UK looked forward to continuing to work closely with Saudi Arabia on this ambitious project.

"She hoped that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would be able to visit the UK in the near future to build on the historic partnership between the two countries."

Additional reporting by Press Association