Welsh Government accused of funding weapons supplier that exports arms to Israel

Emily Price

The First Minister has been accused of misleading the Senedd following a revelation that the Welsh Government had funded a weapons supplier that exports arms to Israel.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Amnesty International UK found that Welsh ministers gave £500,000 in grant funding to Senior - a company that exports military equipment directly to Israel.

Weapons exported by the company include component parts for F-35 fighter jets and Apache gunships.

The Israeli–Palestinian war was triggered when Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people on October 7, 2023.

Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.

More than 59,000 Palestinians - including thousands of children - have been killed in the conflict so far, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

As well as bombs, Palestinians are now also facing a deadly surge in malnutrition and starvation amid an aid blockade.

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'Financial support'

In December 2024, Baroness Eluned Morgan told the Senedd: "No Welsh Government financial support has been provided to companies in Wales who export arms to Israel since the 7 October attacks."

But Amnesty International says this is not the case and has condemned the Welsh Government for awarding public funds to build weapons despite public assurances.

The global non-governmental organisation focused on human rights says that further FOI requests exposed that the Welsh Government does not conduct human rights due diligence checks before awarding public money to private companies.

Amnesty warned that this means there are no guarantees that public money isn’t supporting weapons used in potential breaches of international law.

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Genocide

Glenn Page, Amnesty International’s Government and Political Relations Manager in Wales, said: "The Welsh Government has quietly funded a company supplying weapons to Israel - despite mounting evidence of war crimes and genocide being committed by Israel against Palestinian people in Gaza.

"This directly contradicts what the First Minister told the public. It’s deeply concerning that we only know this because of FOI requests - not because of transparency from the Welsh Government.

"Public money must never help fuel war crimes. There must be full transparency and accountability, beginning with an urgent, long-overdue review of public funding and investment, and the immediate introduction of a robust framework for human rights due diligence."

'Shameful'

Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth described the revelation as "both shocking and shameful" and accused the First Minister of misleading the Senedd.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: "The revelation that the First Minister misled the Senedd about providing £500,000 of Welsh taxpayer money to a weapons manufacturer whose products may have been used to fuel Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people is both shocking and shameful.

"The First Minister claimed that no Welsh Government financial support had been provided to companies in Wales exporting arms to Israel since October 2023, but we now know this is not true. The Labour Welsh Government have serious questions to answer.

"Plaid Cymru once again calls on the Labour UK Government to impose a complete arms embargo, recognise Palestinian statehood, and implement further sanctions on the Israeli government at once.

"The international community cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the horrors happening every single day in Gaza."

We asked the Welsh Government if the First Minister had deliberately misled the Senedd.

A spokesperson did not answer the question directly, but said: "Senior UK is an automotive company based near Caerphilly manufacturing parts for electric vehicles, including buses.

"We provided a grant for them to renovate a building on the site in Crumlin which is expected to create and safeguard over 50 automotive jobs in the area."

Earlier this year, the Senedd reiterated its support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and urged the Welsh Government to "review public sector procurement and investments to ensure that ethical standards are upheld."

Despite supporting this call, no review has taken place.

Amnesty International has called for the Welsh Government to support an end to arms exports to Israel, conduct an urgent and transparent review of all public funding, procurement, and investment policies and introduce mandatory human rights due diligence checks for any company receiving public money.