• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Joint Public Issues Team

Churches working for peace and justice

  • Home Page
  • Who We Are
    • Six hopes for society
  • Issues
    • Economy
      • Tax Justice
      • Reset The Debt
      • Living Wage
    • Environment
      • Net Zero in My Neighbourhood
    • Poverty and Inequality
      • The Cost of Living Crisis
      • Universal Credit
      • Truth and Lies
      • Enough
      • Rethink Sanctions
      • Faith in Foodbanks
      • Housing and Homelessness
    • Asylum and Migration
      • Refugees
      • End Hostility
      • The Asylum System
    • Peacemaking
      • The Arms Trade
      • Nuclear Weapons
      • Drones
      • Peacemaking resources
    • Politics and Elections
      • Elections
      • Meet Your MP
      • Art of the Possible
      • Brexit
    • Other Issues
      • International Development
      • Modern Slavery and Exploitation
        • Forced labour in fashion
  • Get Involved
    • JPIT Conference 2022
    • Newsletter
    • Events
    • Walking with Micah
  • Resources
    • Advent
    • 10 Minutes on… podcast
    • Politics in the Pulpit?
    • Stay and Pray
    • Season of Creation
    • Prayers
    • Public Issues Calendar
    • Poetry
    • Small Group Resources
  • Blog

Good for Us: The UK Arms Industry

Blog, Peacemaking · 29 August, 2017

The following are extracts from an article publish by Steve Hucklesby on the ethics and foreign policy implications of the UK Arms Industry.

FULL ARTICLE – Good for Us: The UK Arms Industry

No Faith in War vigil on 5th September 2017

Prayers and Actions 

The Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) Arms Fair 2017: Involving 35,000 people, the DSEI arms fair will bring together arms companies and weapons buyers from all over the world, including from some of the world’s most oppressive regimes.  This will support the UK’s desire to be established as the world’s second largest arms exporter, an accolade for which we are competing alongside Russia, China and France.  

The intrinsic nature of arms: As Christians we object to the export of arms to oppressive regimes but do we, or should we, have more a fundamental opposition to the UK’s profit from arms?  Our churches teach that the use of armed force, even when justifiable in certain limited circumstances, has its roots in human sinfulness and is a visible sign of the brokenness of human relationship in our fallen world.

Building peace: True peace is not simply the absence of war.  Responsible governments will seek to build the conditions and relationships that will enable arms control and disarmament to take place.

Supporting the UK defence industry:  The UK defence industry is highly enmeshed with the offices of Government.  The Government provides the industry disproportionate support and subsidy.  UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has 8 staff to support trade and investment in the UK’s education sector and 13 to support healthcare services. 122 officers support the defence export industry. 

Arms to Saudi Arabia (there have been over 10,000 deaths of civilians in Yemen): The UK government asserted at a judicial review that it monitors Saudi airstrikes on civilian areas in Yemen and that it is not clear in their view that further arms sales would present a risk to human rights.  Given the UK Government’s refusal to support an independent international investigation and its green light to further sales of aircraft components, bombs and missiles, the UK will be complicit in further deaths resulting from the aerial bombing of civilian areas in Yemen.

Promoting human rights and countering oppression and corruption:  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights and Democracy Report 2016, identifies 30 countries of concern.  The UK Government gave delegations from 8 of these 30 countries VIP status at the 2015 DSEI Arms Fair.  Our drive to sell arms is harming our standing on human rights and good governance.

Christian protest at DSEI: On Tuesday 5th September, faith groups of all kinds will come together at the ExCeL Centre for a day of worshipful and peaceful nonviolent resistance and prayer. 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Peacemaking Tagged With: Arms Industry, Peacemaking

Steve Hucklesby

Steve's background is in international relief and development, having worked for 10 years on programmes in conflict and post-conflict settings in Africa and Asia. He is committed to exploring Christian responses to conflict and injustice, covering areas such as non-proliferation, ethical investment and climate change.

Previous Post: « “UK Foreign policy available to the highest bidder” Peter Oborne
Next Post: Good for us: the UK Arms Industry »

Primary Sidebar

Search

Recent Posts

  • Homes for Ukraine – One Year On
  • Response to the ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ – March 2023
  • Ukraine Invasion – One Year On
  • JPIT’s Review of 2022
  • What does Government Support for Asylum Seekers really provide?
  • God with Us – the Refugees of Calais and Dunkirk
  • How can we respond to COP27?
  • Statement on the conclusion of the COP27 Climate Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
  • COP27 – what should we be looking for?
  • “He has filled the hungry with good things” – What we need from the Autumn Budget
  • What are the stories we should tell about the humanitarian crisis at Manston Airport Asylum centre?
  • How can we be sure that the products we buy are not the result of modern slavery?
  • Why I hate Warm Banks (and why my church is opening one)
  • How does our theology call us to challenge Poverty?
  • Introducing Alfie
  • Biden says nuclear risk is the highest since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Churches respond to risk to benefit levels
  • Briefing on the ‘Mini Budget’ for the Enough to Live group
  • Introducing Hazel
  • Introducing Hannah

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter

Footer

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Quick links

Stay and Pray
Politics in the Pulpit
Faith in Politics podcast
Public Issues Calendar
Useful Links

Our work

About Us
Meet the Team
Join the Team 
Internship
Our Newsletter

Contact us

25 Marylebone Road
London NW1 5JR

Tel: 020 7916 8632

enquiries@jpit.uk

Copyright © 2023 · Showcase Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in