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Britain is set to sell 48 new Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia, despite campaigners accusing the country of war crimes.

A 'memorandum of intent', which aims to finalise the deal, was signed today between the government and the nation's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he completed a three-day visit to the UK.

BAE Systems, the British defence giant producing the jets, employs 5,000 people on its Typhoon programme in the UK.

Chief executive Charles Woodburn called the news a "positive step", while Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said it would " increase security in the Middle East and boost British industry and jobs".

But campaigners have spent days calling for Britain to suspend arms sales to the Gulf state.

Yemen, which borders southern Saudi Arabia, has been embroiled in a bloody civil war since 2014 when rebels took over the capital city of Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia is the main player in a coalition supporting the Yemeni government against the Houthis in a war which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe.

Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said today: “If agreed this shameful deal will be celebrated in the palaces of Riyadh and by the arms companies who will profit from it, but it will mean even greater destruction for the people of Yemen.

(Image: PA)

"For decades now, successive UK governments have enjoyed a toxic and damaging relationship with the Saudi regime.

"By rolling out the red carpet for the Crown Prince, Theresa May has shown how low she will sink to maintain it."

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK’s Director, said: “Selling more fighter planes to a country leading a military coalition that’s already laying waste to homes, hospitals and schools in Yemen, is just adding fuel to a humanitarian fire.

Save the Children chief executive Kevin Watkins said today Saudi Arabia is targeting children in Yemen with a "growing sense of impunity", and claimed the Saudis were "orchestrating what will potentially become the worst famine in the last 50 years".

Speaking in London he added: "It has become acceptable to operate humanitarian blockades which, if not explicitly designed to starve children and harm children, will have that inevitable consequence.

"We have the head of state of a government that has been operating such a blockade - Saudi Arabia - recently invited to Buckingham Palace and Downing Street while the military ... is orchestrating what will potentially become the worst famine in the last 50 years.

"I think speaks volumes to another aspect of the problem that I want to highlight - the growing sense of impunity surrounding these crimes against children.

"The fact that you can rape, murder, kidnap, bomb schools, bomb clinics with no consequence, speaks I think to the heart of the deeper challenge that we are addressing today."

Jeremy Corbyn earlier this week accused the British government of "colluding" in what was described as "evidence of war crimes. "

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The Labour leader told Theresa May at Prime Minister's Questions: "Millions face starvation. 600,000 children have cholera because of the Saudi-led bombing campaign and blockade.

"Germany has suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia but British arms sales have sharply increased.

"British military advisors are directing the war.

"It cannot be right that her government is colluding in what the United Nations says is evidence of war crimes."

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REUTERS)

Prince Salman, 32, is the son of the 82-year-old Saudi king and women have recently been granted rare freedoms such as being able to drive and attend sports matches.

The crown prince was treated to a private dinner with the Prime Minister at Chequers on Thursday night and has also met with the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge.

Downing Street said trade deals worth £65 billion had been agreed during the visit, which were "important both for our economy and the economy of Saudi Arabia".

(Image: AFP) (Image: Leon Neal) (Image: AFP)

Defending the Saudis on Wednesday, Mrs May said: "Their involvement in Yemen came at the request of the legitimate government of the Yemen, it is backed by the United Nations Security Council and as such we support it."

Downing Street said Mrs May did raise her "deep concerns at the humanitarian situation in Yemen" during her meeting with the crown prince.

A No10 spokesman added: "The Prime Minister and Crown Prince agreed on the importance of full and unfettered humanitarian and commercial access, including through the ports, and that a political solution was ultimately the only way to end the conflict and humanitarian suffering in Yemen."