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UK is world’s biggest arms dealer

on June 18, 2008 3:35 pm / 5 comments

 

ukarms.jpgABC | Britain was the world’s biggest arms seller last year, accounting for a third of global arms exports, the Government’s trade promotion organisation said.

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) said British arms exporters had added $20.1 billion in new business last year, giving them a larger share of global arms exports than the United States.

“As demonstrated by this outstanding export performance, the UK has a first-class defence industry, with some of the world’s most technologically sophisticated companies,” Minister for Trade and Investment Digby Jones said.

UKTI said the British figures were boosted by orders for Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest arms buyer, which imported $32.8 billion in weapons over the last five years.

The United States still tops the world for the last five years with $66.7 billion in total arms exports.

Britain was second with $56.1 billion and Russia third with $35 billion, it said.

 

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  • Ashley

    Why do they call it a 'defense' industry? Just who are they trying to kid? This Digby Jones appears to be trying to make out that this is something to be celebrated, I can't celebrate $20.1 billion worth more munitions in the world to blow people apart. Hellfire missiles and cluster bombs wooohooo, why not spend it on schools? Hospitals? In fact why not just burn it? imo it would be a more morally acceptable way to get rid of the money!

    Here's quick rewrite: -

    Britain was the world’s biggest merchant of death last year, accounting for a third of global bloodshed, the Government’s trade promotion organisation said.

    UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) said British purveyors of fine quality killing implements had added $20.1 billion in new business last year, giving them a larger share of global arms exports than the United States and more blood on their hands than can possibly be imagined.

    “As demonstrated by this outstanding export performance, the UK has a first-class warmongering industry, with some of the world’s most technologically sophisticated companies specialising in the ending of life when they could be trying to do something positive,” Minister for Trade, Investment and death peddlers Digby Jones said.

    UKTI said the British figures were boosted by orders for Eurofighter Typhoon jets (which sounds really harmless, perhaps they could be renamed armageddon-bringers, baby-killers or something else more suitable) from Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest arms buyer, which imported $32.8 billion in weapons over the last five years (due to fears over the stability of the middle east due to western meddling).

    The United States still tops the world for the last five years with $66.7 billion in total arms exports. 'Yay for the never ending war on terror' a Raytheon representative quipped.

    Britain was second with $56.1 billion and Russia third with $35 billion, it said.

    The War of Terror continues……

  • Charlie Castelnau

    Agree whole-heartedly with Ashley. Just one thing though – Britain can call it defense, but it's a special form of defense called "pre-emptive defense". Other nations may call it "terrorism".

  • 3 year old kid

    Its a racket, a money laundering industry on top of all the other evil things.

  • 3 year old kid

    Thats a good one CC, its part of the Terrorism industry.

  • BKKPip

    Be as idealistic as you wish to chaps and chapesses. However, this trade will always exist, human nature being as it is, so it's better that we're putting the money in our coffers, creating tax revenue that pays for our NHS and our children's education's, than some tin-pot dictatorship somewhere where the money will go into the pockets of bloated tyrants. I, for one, am glad to see something positive about the state of Britain's economy