Brighton MP calls for UK ban on weapon sales to authoritarian regimes  

An Early Day Motion (1) calling for an end to the sale of weapons and military equipment to all authoritarian regimes has been tabled to coincide with the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition (2) taking place in London this week. Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, is the primary sponsor of the EDM. She said: "In the week of the DSEi arms trade fair, it's clearer than ever that at the heart of the UK's foreign policy is a serious moral conflict between the Government's promotion of military exports and its stated desire to help protect human rights overseas. "David Cameron positioned himself at the forefront of the effort to support the Libyan uprising, yet last year the UK issued over £200 million worth of equipment requiring export licences to the country, providing Colonel Gaddafi with resources including tear gas, crowd control...