UK: Government urged to get tough on arms

The MPs' call to the government comes from the Quadripartite Committee's Annual Report, a cross-party committee of MPs responsible for scrutinising arms exports.

The report states that unless arms controls are backed up with "more legal or political backbone", they are "not worth the paper they are written on."

The government is also called to task over moves to end the EU arms embargo on China and their failure to regulate British arms dealers overseas.

"MPs are right to condemn government failures on arms export controls. Unless the government heeds their advice and takes urgent action, British sold weapons will continue to end up in war zones where they could be used to kill civilians."
said Justin Forsyth, Director of Policy at Oxfam.

"The government must get serious about controlling arms sales and back the international Arms Trade Treaty- a treaty already supported by governments across the world."
Said Rob Parker, Amnesty International UK Arms Campaigner.

More about the Control Arms campaign...