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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
New report reveals deeply-entrenched influence of arms industry on government policies
Trade unionists and protesters form a blockade outside weapons manufacturer BAE Systems in Rochester, Kent, in protest over the Israel-Gaza conflict and calling for an immediate ceasefire to halt the killing of civilians in Palestine, November 10, 2023

ARMS companies are perverting British government policy through unprecedented influence on ministers and officials, a new report has revealed.

The result is arms export decisions which sustain war crimes, human rights abuses and blatant corruption, with rules are regularly bent in favour of the industry, it claims.

Over 10 years, ministers and top civil servants met with arms executives an average of 1.64 times every day, shows the report by Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and the World Peace Foundation.

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