The UK defence minister endorses arms sale abroad, with potentially grave political consequences.
It is impossible to show solidarity with the people of Egypt while arming and supporting the tyranny oppressing them, but this is the hypocrisy at the heart of western foreign policy.
Britain claims its arms exports controls are stringent - the reality is the opposite.
Next week anti arms trade activists will be heading to Farnborough to attend the BAE Systems AGM and put new Chair, Sir Roger Carr, on the spot with questions about his company's associations with human rights abusers.
On March 12-14 the quiet English town of Farnborough will play host to the Security & Policing conference and exhibition. This event will bring together some of the world's largest arms companies with some of the worst human rights abusers.
Earlier this month the South Korean export agency announced that, following an international campaign supported by Campaign Against Arms Trade, they would cancel a shipment of 1.6 million gas canisters to Bahrain. This sets an important precedent which Europe should be following.
