FOI reveals £500,000 grant to weapons supplier  

Weapons components supplied for F-35s and Apache gunships 

‘Public money must never help fuel war crimes’ – Glenn Page 

Amnesty International has condemned the Welsh Government for awarding public funds to a weapons manufacturer that exports military equipment to Israel – despite First Minister claims to the contrary.  

In December 2024, the First Minister 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 Freedom of Information requests submitted by Amnesty reveal that the Welsh Government awarded £500,000 in grant funding to SENIOR, a company that exports military equipment directly to Israel, including component parts for F-35 fighter jets and Apache gunships. 

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."

Further FOI requests by Amnesty exposed that the Welsh Government does not conduct human rights due diligence checks before awarding public money to private companies. This means there are no guarantees that public money isn’t supporting weapons used in potential breaches of international law.  

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 is calling 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. 

• Introduce mandatory human rights due diligence checks for any company receiving public money.