U.K. Plans Tougher Arms Controls
Defense Daily International
Vol. 9; Issue 7
February 15, 2008

The U.K. plans to introduce tougher export controls on certain types of arms as a result of a government review of its export controls, a government official said Feb. 6.

The stricter controls are in response to the views and recommendations the government received from a public consultation held between June and September 2007, Business and Enterprise Minister Malcolm Wicks said in a statement.

"It has been argued that small arms are today's real weapons of mass destruction," Wicks said. "Irresponsible arms trade that undermines global commitments to human rights, stability and poverty reduction should not be tolerated. The U.K. already has one of the toughest export and trade control regimes in the world and it is my intention to further tighten arms trade laws to ensure U.K. brokers are regulated  wherever in the world they do business."

The government is committed to ensuring the controls are as effective as possible, notably by:

Extending export laws to control extra territorial brokering and trafficking of small arms, including revolvers, self loading pistols, shotguns, rifles, carbines, sub  machine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns, plus any components specially designed for them, and their ammunition by U.K. people anywhere in the world;

Applying new controls on U.K. persons anywhere in the world trading in man portable air defense systems and those cluster munitions that can harm civilians.;

Extending export and trade controls to include sting sticks  metal batons with barbs and spikes; and,

Committing to start European Union (EU) negotiations to introduce a new EU wide torture end use control, which would enable all EU states to make licensable  and refuse  the export of any equipment known to be for use in acts of torture.

Research and consultation continues on other proposed changes, including the case for:

Extending extra territorial trade controls to cover other weapons;

Rationalizing the licensing treatment of long range missiles and unmanned air vehicles;

Strengthening controls on the export of non controlled equipment for military end use in destinations of concern, and,

Introducing a register of traders in military equipment. (Emphasis added.)

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