A Bill to establish a presumption against licensing arms exports to certain countries designated by the Secretary of State as being countries of concern in relation to their respect for human rights; and for connected purposes.
House of Commons
28 April 2017
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would create a default rule that the government should not grant licences to export arms to countries designated as having poor human rights records. The Secretary of State would decide which countries count as 'countries of concern', and the bill includes related provisions to support this aim. It seeks to strengthen human rights protections in the arms trade.
The bill is at the 2nd reading stage in the House of Commons. It originated in the Commons, with its first reading in 2016, and has not yet progressed to committee stage in this session.
Generated 21 February 2026
12 Sept 2016
This Bill was expected to have its second reading debate on Friday 12 May 2017.
However, as a General Election has now been called and Parliament will be dissolved from 3 May 2017, the Bill falls and no further action will be taken.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
