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  From an official Saudi source regarding trade betwen our nations:
  
  "The decline in British exports to the KSA can be attributed to a number of factors. The most dramatic decline, which occurred in 1998/99 - when British exports plummeted by more than 60% to just $2.5 billion in 1999 from a high of over $6 billion in 1997 - can be attributed to a decrease in the export of defence equipment. From 1985 onwards, under the Al-Yamamah deal, the UK was involved in supplying a large quantity of defence equipment to the Saudi armed forces. In 1998/99, the new Labour government began enforcing tougher weapons export guidelines, which can be attributed to going some way towards correcting the huge trade imbalance between the Kingdom and the UK.
  
  In 1999/2000, British exports hovered around the $2.4 billion mark and began plummeting once more in 2001/2002. This serious but much less dramatic decline was a result of weak Saudi demand for British meat and dairy products, in the aftermath of the UK's BSE and foot-and-mouth crises."
  
  In simple terms the New Labour government denied British industry the opportunity to sell over £45b of goods to Saudi during its term in office, which must have had a negative impact on our economy and jobs.
  
  It is to be hoped the new government will get around to reversing this trend asap.

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