AS an Amnesty International local campaign group, we have been calling for tough new arms controls for over two years.

We therefore strongly welcome the Export Control Bill currently going through both Houses of Parliament.

However, we are deeply concerned that the Government is breaking an election manifesto pledge which leaves a serious loophole in the Bill.

In its election manifesto the government pledged to control the activities of arms brokers "wherever they are located". However, as it currently stands, the Bill would not stop a UK arms broker from dealing guns to al-Qaeda supporters in Pakistan, ammunition to armed groups in the Philippines or helicopters to warring parties in Colombia, as long as the deal was not done in the UK. Unscrupulous brokers will simply do their deals on a weekend break in Paris or Dublin and avoid all UK export control in the process.

The government is engaged in a "war on terrorism" and is also trying to find solutions to the problems in Africa, the "scar on the world's conscience". Unless the Prime Minister puts his own house in order by strengthening the Export Control Bill, he may find that any plans to tackle "terrorism" or weapons proliferation in Africa may be undermined closer to home.

Kathleen Pollitt,

Amnesty International,

Bolton & Bury Group,

Hillside Avenue,

Bromley Cross.