The 'Dirty Secret' of British Arms Sales to Libya

‘We recommend the Government sets out how it intends to reconcile the potential conflict of interest between increased emphasis on promoting arms exports with the staunch upholding of human rights.’

Sir John Stanley, the committee’s Tory chairman, said the hasty withdrawal of so many export licences after several regimes brutally turned their guns on protesters ‘reflected the degree of policy misjudgement that has occurred’. Ministers have ordered a sweeping review into the issuing of arms export licences.

Kaye Stearman, of Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: ‘This is a damning report that shines light on the dirty secret of Britain’s arms exports to authoritarian, undemocratic and abusive regimes. This should be a wake-up call to the Government.’

Oliver Sprague, Amnesty International’s UK arms programme director, said: ‘Plainly decisions made in the past on arms sales to the Middle East and North Africa have been wrong.’

Labour ministers were said to have approved the sale of the crowd control weapons to Gaddafi while negotiations were under way over the fate of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi.