Overview

• On June 30, the High Court dismissed the judicial review brought by Al-Haq and upheld the UK’s exemption of F-35 components from its September suspension of arms licences
• Lord Justice Males and Mrs Justice Steyn held that strategic defence export decisions fall within executive and parliamentary remit, rendering them non-justiciable
• The carve-out covers British-made parts—including refuelling probes, laser targeting systems, tyres and ejector seats—to maintain integrity of the multinational F-35 programme
• Human rights groups argued the exemption carried a clear risk of facilitating breaches of international humanitarian and genocide law in Gaza
• Al-Haq and its NGO backers have pledged further legal and political action while the Department for Business and Trade continues to review its export licensing framework