§ Mr. Alan Keen (Feltham and Heston)I have a petition presented by constituents of mine from Heston in Middlesex, signed by 373 people. It says:
To the House of Commons.The Petition of the Christians of HestonDeclaresThat as followers of Christ we are to be peacemakers, so it is of great concern to us that our country is a major exporter of weapons, and that many British jobs are thus dependent on there being a continuation of poverty and insecurity in the world.Therefore we humbly request that your honourable House takes practical steps to:
- a) curtail the export of arms to countries with poor human rights records and to countries unable to pay for arms except at the expense of essential welfare services;
- b) divert funds currently used for the promotion of arms exports into support for the conversion arms manufacture to civilian production.
And the petitioners remain, etc …
§ To lie upon the Table.