A US arms firm in Fife linked to war crimes in Yemen have enjoyed at least 57 private meetings with the UK Government.
Raytheon have wined and dined MPs and even treated a minister at the MoD to a Burns supper with haggis, neeps and whisky.
The multinational also met privately with Chancellor Philip Hammond when he was foreign secretary after claims of war crimes in Yemen emerged.
The scale of Raytheon’s lobbying has been revealed by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) as UK ministers continue to refuse to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
Raytheon produce Paveway IV smart bombs at their factory in Glenrothes, which have been supplied to Saudi Arabia and used in Yemen’s war.
The Saudis have been accused of dozens of war crimes, putting huge pressure on the Government to suspend arms sales to their ally.
But the Government have refused to stop selling bombs, prompting widespread criticism and allegations of UK complicity in war crimes.
CAAT say the US firm have enjoyed 74 hours of meetings with the MoD since the Tories came to power in 2010.
The company also had six meetings with the Prime Minister’s office lasting 10 hours.
Raytheon met with Hammond last September before he was appointed as as Chancellor.
While foreign secretary, he refused to suspend arms sales to the Saudis despite pleas by groups such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Save the Children.
Tory MP Mark Lancaster was treated to a Burns supper in January. Raytheon also wined and dined MP Philip Dunne when he was minister for defence procurement.
During 26 of the 57 meetings Raytheon had with the Government, officials from the Defence and Security Organisation – who promote arms exports – were present.
CAAT say three senior MoD officials have worked for Raytheon.
The campaign group’s Andrew Smith said: “Raytheon are complicit in the destruction of Yemen, yet they enjoy the support of the machinery of government. They have direct access to government ministers and civil servants and are in a powerful position to influence policy.”
Green MSP Ross Greer said: “It looks like Raytheon have their own desk at the defence department, given how closely involved they are.
“The relationship between this UK Government department and a maker of lethal weapons has clearly overstepped the mark.
“It all underlines the need to keep up the pressure and end the arms trade.”
Last year, the UK Government approved more than £3billion of arms sales to the Saudis.
The Sunday Mail revealed in August that a code on bomb fragments found at the scene of an alleged war crime in Yemen was linked to Raytheon.
Earlier this year, the UN said there had been 110 “clear violations of international law by the Saudi-led coalition”, raising questions over the legality of UK arms sales.
Refugee camps, schools, hospitals and markets had been targeted by airstrikes, the UN said.
The Saudis have strongly denied targeting civilians. Their opponents, the Houthis, have also been accused of war crimes.
Amnesty and Human Rights Watch claim that, since the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015, 3799 civilians have been killed and more than 6700 wounded.
Last week, it emerged that the UK Government blocked an attempt by the EU to establish an independent investigation into war crimes in Yemen.
The UK has also refused to call for an independent UN-led inquiry into war crimes.
Dunne, Lancaster and Raytheon declined to comment.
A Government spokesperson said: “Defence ministers meet with defence-related companies for a range of reasons, from equipment procurement to encouraging them to support our veterans and reservists in terms of employment.”
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