Fox defends UK’s arms export trade

INTERNATIONAL TRADE Secretary Liam Fox has defended Britain’s multi-billion-pound arms export industry, warning that if countries were unable to acquire the weapons they needed legally there would be an eruption of unregulated sales.

Speaking at the opening day of the world’s biggest arms fair in London, Dr Fox said the UK had one of the most sophisticated export licensing regimes in the world, designed to ensure that British-made weaponry was not used to endanger international security.

At the same time, he stressed overseas governments had an “inalienable right” to defend themselves and that if they could not buy the equipment they required from developed countries with effective controls, like the UK, they would look elsewhere. His comments came amid fresh calls from campaigners for Britain to end sales to Saudi Arabia.