THE government was accused of showing “a clear disregard for the lives of civilians in favour of profit” today by challenging a landmark court decision on arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Ministers have applied for a stay of last month’s ruling that the exports are illegal pending an appeal, said Campaign Against Arms Trade.

The group has been fighting the government over the sale of arms to the kingdom, which has used them in the Yemen war.

British-Yemeni lawyer Rehab Jaffer told the Star that she was “disappointed but not surprised” by the government’s appeal.

Ms Jaffer said: “It is unclear how the UK can deny that its arms are being used, or have been used, by Saudi Arabia to violate international humanitarian law. This has been documented by numerous NGOs.

“By appealing [against] this decision, the UK has yet again shown a clear disregard for the lives of civilians in favour of profit from the sale of arms.

“The British government has been told in a court of law that their sale of arms to Saudi for use in Yemen is unlawful and irrational.

“The refusal of the state to accept this decision is an embarrassment to their international legal obligations to protect civilian lives. I say I am unsurprised because it has never been more clear that politics and money are the decision-makers here."

Global Justice Now director Nick Dearden said it should not require a court to tell the government that it “absolutely must” prohibit selling arms to Saudi Arabia at a time when the regime is “pulverising Yemen with those weapons.”

He added: “So rather than applying for a stay to get the arms flowing again, those ministers responsible should think themselves lucky that they’re not themselves facing criminal prosecutions for their role in this horrific situation.

“We actually need to look beyond Saudi and halt the flow of weapons and surveillance equipment to several highly repressive countries and stop lining the pockets of corporate executives at the price of death and destruction around the world.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn branded the appeal “a mockery” of the government’s own commitment to halt all new sales while a review of civilian casualties takes place.

Mr Corbyn added that the Conservatives’ priority is to sell arms, not to protect the rights and lives of the Yemeni people.