Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint,

Minister of State for Trade and Investment

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

1 Victoria Street
London  SW1H 0ET

Date: April 16^th 2013

Dear Stephen,

I am writing to you to express my dismay, and that of a number of my constituents, at the visit this March of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to Saudi Arabia. It has been reported that the visit was made at the request of the UK Government with the aim of enhancing military links, including helping secure a contract for BAE’s Eurofighter. It took place in the same week that Saudi Arabia executed seven prisoners without a fair trial, and following allegations of torture.

As I am sure you are aware, the people of Saudi Arabia are living under a repressive and abusive regime with a history of using its military against its own people, as well as against civilian demonstrations for freedom and democracy in neighboring Bahrain. The state’s use of torture and brutality are well documented. The UK’s continuing active promotion of arms sales to Saudi Arabia serves to condone human rights abuse and legitimise crimes committed by the state. It is neither consistent nor credible to champion human rights worldwide at the same time as promoting weapons sales to countries that blatantly disregard those rights.

I am particularly concerned about the sale of weapons to abusive regimes given the context of the approaching DSEi arms fair, due to take place in London in September. After the previous DSEi event in September 2011, I wrote to the Secretary of State for BIS to inform him that banned cluster munitions and “enhanced transport restraint systems” were being actively promoted at the event; I did not receive a reply (ref:  ML.N0044.CM.16.09.11).

As I have already informed your Department, exhibitors at the 2011 arms fair contravened Government guidance about permissible exhibits. I found illegal advertising materials in just one short visit to the exhibition, and I suspect that the full extent of the problem is as yet undiscovered. The illegal promotion of banned weapons on British soil must not be allowed to take place again this September.

The Secretary of State for Defence has claimed that the UK's export licensing regime is the toughest in the world. That may be the case on paper, but such rules are useless if they are not strictly enforced by the Government and its representatives. I therefore call on you to provide an immediate guarantee that no illegal activity will be permitted to take place at future arms fairs in Britain.

I look forward to receiving your response, detailing the action the Government intend to take with regards the arms trade and breaches of UK law.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion