Time for Government to 'end its military sales to despotic regimes'

As many of you know, I have always been passionate about human rights, and have argued against arms sales to human rights violators ever since I became an MP. I was therefore delighted to have been granted a debate in Parliament today on the “implications for human rights of promoting arms sales”.

During the debate, I will be raising my frustration – and that of my Parliamentary colleagues, particularly those on the Committees for Arms Export Controls (CAEC) in previous Parliaments (which should also be reinstated in this Parliament as a matter of urgency) – about the fundamental incompatibility of promoting human rights at the same time as promoting arms exports – particularly in relation to authoritarian and war-torn regimes.

Though UK governments argue that they operate one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world – that their export licensing criteria take human rights into account and that licences will not be granted if the equipment might be used for human rights abuse, I would argue that considerably more caution needs to be exercised when assessments are being undertaken on arms exports to authoritarian and war-torn countries.

Because quite frankly, many licences should never have been granted – not those to Saddam, to President Suharto nor to President Qaddafi.  I think it is shocking that licenses to FCO designated countries of concern were valued, earlier this year, at almost £12 billion.

It is not enough to say that licenses can be revoked if circumstances change.  Revocation of licences can only be of limited effect, for the simple reason that revocation is of no use whatsoever for exports that have already been shipped – these arms can never be recovered. And as we have seen so tragically in Libya, you can never be sure in whose hands, arms, initially sent to despotic regimes in unstable regions, will end up.

The biennial Defence & Security Equipment International exhibition, one of the world's largest for arms, is taking place at the ExCel Centre in London's Docklands. It is organised by a private company, Clarion Events, but the Government's arms sales agency, the UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation has issued the official invitations to 61 countries – which include countries on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's list of countries of concern on human rights grounds – such as Colombia, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia plus others where human rights are a major issue including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates as well as the Ukraine.

Do we really want to continue facilitating arms deals with and for countries with very dubious human rights records.  Have we learnt so little from past mistakes?

It is time for fundamental change – for the UK Government to change its policies and practices to end its military sales to despotic regimes. Such a change would also prove overwhelming popular, with 70% of UK adults recently polled agreeing that the UK government should not promote the sale of British military equipment to foreign governments that have poor record with regards to human rights.