Britain’s system for controlling arms exports is broken, former diplomat claims

Ex-Foreign Office official says he saw conduct that crossed the threshold into complicity with war crimes'

• Mark Smith: I saw illegality and complicity with war crimes. That's why I quit the UK Foreign Office

Britain's system for controlling arms exports is broken, subject to political manipulation and has seen conduct that crossed the threshold into complicity with war crimes, a former UK diplomat has claimed.

Writing for the Guardian, Mark Smith, who resigned from the Foreign Office in August, said officials were instructed to manipulate findings on the misuse of UK arms by allies, and if they did not do so, their reports were edited by senior colleagues to give the impression that the UK was in compliance with the law.