JUDGES have frozen dozens of arms deals between Britain and Saudi Arabia despite a last-ditch attempt by Whitehall lawyers to push through the weapon sales.

A ruling by the court of appeal means the 57 arms sales applications that were under consideration on June 20 can only resume once ministers investigate whether British bombs have been dropped on civilians in Yemen.

The verdict reinforces an earlier decision made by the same court in June, which found the government had acted “irrationally” and “unlawfully” in allowing arms sales to Saudi Arabia without conducting a risk assessment.

On Monday it emerged that ministers were trying to thwart that ruling by seeking a “stay” — a move designed to allow arms sales to continue while the risk assessment was still ongoing.

Judges have now knocked down that attempt by the government, and said ministers will have to take their appeal to the supreme court.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which brought the case, said: “We welcome the court’s decision to uphold the current ban on arms sales.”

CAAT spokesman Andrew Smith commented: “These arms sales are immoral, and we are confident that the supreme court will agree they are also illegal.

“Despite the atrocities that have been inflicted in the terrible war on Yemen, this case and the response make clear that the government will do anything it can to keep arming and supporting the brutal Saudi regime.

“UK-made weapons have played a central role in creating the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”

CAAT calculates that Britain has licensed £4.7 billion worth of arms to the Saudi military since the war in Yemen began in March 2015.