Alwaght- Britain's opposition has accused premier Theresa May of lying to parliament over the legal basis for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen amid a bitter political row over UK support for the conflict.
In a highly spirited defense of Britain's relationship with the Saudi regime on Wednesday, which came hours before she met the controversial crown prince in Downing Street, May told parliament that Saudi-led intervention was "backed" by the UN Security Council, and "as such" was supported by the UK.
Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn responded that UK forces were effectively "colluding" in war crimes by supporting Saudi forces.
Now, Corbyn has gone further and attacked May's comments in parliament, saying that she got her facts wrong, amid claims that the UN has not explicitly authorized the use of military force by the Saudi-led coalition under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the document which regulates when states are authorized to use "all military means" to enforce UN resolutions.
Speaking at the Scottish Labour Party conference in Dundee on Friday, Corbyn said, "It cannot be right, as I told the prime minister on Wednesday, that her government is colluding in what the UN and others say is evidence of war crimes. Germany has suspended arms supplies to Saudi Arabia, and so must the British government. This outrage must end.
"Nor is it true, as the prime minister claimed, that the Saudi-led war in Yemen has been authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
"What's needed now is both a ceasefire and a concerted international effort to achieve a negotiated political settlement."
Fabian Hamilton MP said "Theresa May has got it all wrong here. The fact is that UN Resolution 2216 called for an end to the violence in Yemen and certainly did not support Saudi military intervention in the country."
The Labour shadow minister, added "Instead of cuddling up to the crown prince, it is now time for the prime minister to show some leadership and suspend all British arms sales to Saudi Arabia, as their use against civilians in Yemen is a source of shame for Britain."
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
Nearly 14,000 Yemenis, mostly women, children and the elderly, have been killed since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s aggression against the impoverished state. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war. The Saudi-led war has also triggered a worsening humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions across Yemen.
