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Britain's decade as world's second largest arms exporter a ‘source of great shame’
Peace campaigners remind government that weapons sales are ‘not just numbers on a spreadsheet’ while Labour's Zarah Sultana says Britain has become a world-leader in aiding and abetting horrific wars and repression
A challenger 2 Main Battle Tank during a Land Combat demonstration
BRITAIN has remained the globe’s second largest arms exporters for a decade — with the majority of its weapons sold to fuel devastating conflicts in the Middle East.
According to the latest official figures, Britain holds almost a fifth (16 per cent) of the global arms trade, falling behind only the United States, which had an estimated 47 per cent share in 2019.
Of the weapons sold since 2010, almost 60 per cent were imported by Middle Eastern countries, the vast majority to Saudi Arabia.
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