CAAT - Write to your MP

Write to your MP

Please write to your MP expressing your concerns about UKTI's new role in arms sales, and asking him or her to raise them with the Minister of State for Trade & Industry. This allows us to raise awareness among parliamentarians as well as reaching the Minister, who is obliged to reply to letters passed on by MPs.

It's a crucial time: This September, DSEi, the world's largest arms fair, once again took place in London. UKTI DSO co-organised the fair and invited 54 foreign delegations to attend, including human rights abusers, states engaged in conflict and those with urgent development needs. The invite list included Angola, China, Libya and Saudi Arabia. The government support provided by UKTI DSO is crucial to DSEi's success and to its continued existence. If we want to end arms fairs such as DSEi we must end the government support that makes them possible. At the same time, the Conservative Party has said that if it wins the next election it will reinstate DESO, which would be an enormous step backwards. We need to put the pressure on now!

What to do

If you don't already know, find out who your MP is by entering your postcode at Up My Street or by calling the House of Commons on 020 7219 3000.
Write to your MP at the House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA telling him or her of your concerns and asking that they be raised with Mervyn Davies.
We've included some key points you might like to write in your letter below. While a letter in your own words will have the most impact, any contact from a constitutent will be noticed by an MP, so if you're short of time, you can print out a model letter, where you just need to add your details and the name of your MP, and then sign and send. If you are you are unable to use the word document to write to your MP you can use this web form to produce a letter.
Please take 30 seconds to let us know which MP you have written to, so we can keep track of the impact of the campaign. This will help us in our lobbying, and in making the campaign even more effective.

Many CAAT supporters have already written to their MP, and received a reply from the Minister. If you'd like to respond to the Minister's arguments, you can look at CAAT's response for some inspiration.

Key points

UKTI Defence & Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) was set up in April 2008 as a group within UK Trade & Investment, the Government unit that promotes UK exports. UKTI now has more than 160 civil servants dedicated to helping private companies sell arms. This is a shocking use of taxpayers' money, and one that should not be supported by a responsible government.

UKTI DSO has already supported the sale of arms to repressive regimes, including to countries listed by the Foreign and Commonwealth as being 'major countries of concern' on human rights. It is also increasing international instability and the likelihood of conflict by promoting arms to countries involved in conflict. UKTI DSO has participated in a number of international arms fairs, such as Pakistan's International Defence Exhibition and Seminar 2008 – also visited by high-level delegations from Sudan and Zimbabwe. This September it co-organised DSEi, the world's largest arms fair, which took place in East London. UKTI DSO invited 54 official delegations, including Angola, China, Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Military exports make up only 1.5% of total UK exports, with arms export employment accounting for 0.2% of the UK workforce and just 2% of manufacturing employment. Yet UKTI DSO support for military exports is totally disproportionate as it employs more staff than those engaged in all of the organisation's other industry-specific trade promotion.

While military exports undoubtedly bring commercial benefit to arms companies and their shareholders, this is not the same as benefiting the UK economy as a whole. The money saved by reducing or ending the UK arms trade could be invested in other industries such as renewable energy, which would create new, highly skilled jobs. As well as being more sustainable, this would contribute to, rather than threaten, UK and international security.

The UK government should close down UKTI DSO and stop its functions. As my MP, please write to Lord Mervyn Davies, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, urging him to use his powers as the Minister responsible for UKTI to see that this is done.

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