Taking aim at the arms fair. Photo: Photo: The U.S. Army / flickr CC
Mayoral candidates against arms fair
Two candidates pledge to prevent London arms fair
Two candidates for mayor of London have promised to prevent the London arms fair taking place again if they are elected. Labour’s Ken Livingstone and the Green Party’s Jenny Jones said last week that they would use their mayoral powers to block the biennial event, known formally as Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi). It is next due to be held in September 2013.
Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick said he would not block the fair, arguing that it is a matter for central government. But he added that he would expect the organisers to pay for the cost of policing it.
Current mayor and Conservative candidate Boris Johnson has defended the arms fair during his time in office, saying that it is good for the local economy.
While serving as mayor from 2000 to 2008, Ken Livingstone criticised the fair as unethical but did not prevent it going ahead. He has now said: ‘If I am elected mayor, I will use all of my available powers to ensure that the DSEi is no longer hosted in our city – so that tyrants and human rights abusers can no longer shop for weaponry in London.’
