IDS backs amnesty

11:34am Saturday 27th May 2006

MP Iain Duncan Smith's face will be one in a million after he endorsed a massive public lobby to stop arms trading and cut violent crime.

Campaigners with the Epping Forest branch of Amnesty International are joining people from across the UK to make the world's biggest visual petition.

Instead of listing names, the petition will include photographs of one million people calling for the United Nations to issue a treaty which puts tighter controls on the global arms trade.

Volunteers from Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) are also part of the campaign.

A lobby was held in the Houses of Parliament where Mr Duncan Smith agreed to back the campaign.

The Chingford MP met with representatives from the Epping Forest Amnesty group in Chingford last Friday.

Paul Snowdon, a member of the group, said: "The UK Government and other key world leaders can do something to tighten up international laws.

"When you consider that one thousand people are killed every day by armed violence, it's clear that existing arms controls are not working. An international arms trade treaty will end the arms trade free-for-all and help save people's lives."

So far more than 945,000 people around the world have joined the million faces petition.

Mr Duncan Smith said: "We can see from the problems in war-torn Africa that the trade literally does destroy lives and it is time the Government toughened up on its actions."

Further information is available at www.amnesty.org.uk or www.controlarms.org.