Government admits it has been wrong on Saudi Arabian war crimes

Ministers have quietly issued reams of corrections to previous ministerial statements in which they claimed that Saudi Arabia is not targeting civilians or committing war crimes

The autocratic petro-state is currently engaged in a bombing campaign in Yemen where it has blown up hospitals, schools, and weddings as part of its intervention against Houthi rebels.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, has said that “carnage” caused by certain Saudi coalition airstrikes against civilian targets appear to be war crimes.

Britain has been a staunch defender of the dictatorship’s assault, with UK arms companies supplying billions in weapons and ministers staking their reputation on the conduct of the Saudi Arabian armed forces.

However as MPs went back to their constituencies for recess on Thursday the Foreign Office admitted six ministerial statements from the past year “did not fully reflect” the real situation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/saudi-arabia-war-crimes-human-rights-uk-british-government-yemen-saudi-correction-philip-hammond-a7150761.html

Gosh. What a surprise.

Anyone think we ought to have a law that forbids lying whilst in a ministerial position?